Open Water
by sym64
Summary: An exploration of the sea life around Oahu. Well, sort of. ;-) / This story is mostly about action, drama, hurt, comfort, humor, teamwork, friendship and romance.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Open Water

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately they are still not mine. I hope CBS and whoever owns the rights to Five-0 doesn't mind too much that I'm borrowing them for a short while. I promise to put them back when I'm done. They might even be in better condition afterwards. ;-)

**Summary: **An exploration of the sea life around Oahu. Well, sort of. ;-)

**Characters**: Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Catherine Rollins, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Grace Williams, Max Bergman, Governor Denning, well, actually I think everyone makes an appearance. :-)

**A/N:** This story is mostly about action, drama, hurt, comfort, humor, teamwork, friendship and romance. I hope it has something for everyone. ;-)

As always the facts told in this story are heavily researched and accurate to the best of my knowledge. But as always some facts are boring, and therefore needed some tweaking. ;-) Always remember this is for enjoyment, not to get a doctorate.

The storytelling is a bit different with this one. One half is in chronological order, but the other half is in episodic form. I hope you will enjoy it.

You will have the pleasure of reading a chapter written by Cokie316 later in the story. I'll let you know when we come to it.

**Thank you:** Thank you Cokie316 for being a part of this story, and for coming up with such a great idea. You again made this so much fun. I just love our research. ;-)

Thanks to Sherry57 for getting over this thing and finding all those nasty little grammar things we overlooked.

**Open Water – Chapter 01 – The Beginning**

**North Shore - Saturday, 0600 hours**

Steve knew he was fucked the second he hit the water. He knew it even before the board hit him in the head and almost knocked him out.

He didn't know for sure _how_ it happened, but suddenly the wave broke and he had the worst wipe-out of his life.

As if it wasn't enough that he was smashed in the head by his own board and pushed down by tons of water, no, he also had to lose his damn board and get caught in a current that pulled him out to sea.

Considering all that, it might not have been his brightest idea to come surfing in the wee hours of this not-so-sunny Saturday morning. This had been one of his favorite spots in his youth because it was away from all the tourists, but it had been quite a while since he had surfed the bigger waves out here. Today, the surf was not as high as it normally was, and that was why Steve decided to go out early, before the predicted bad weather and storm hit. No surfing or swimming would be possible then; only the crazy surfers would go out in those conditions. And Steve was not one of the crazies.

Even though Steve loved to surf, and he was not bad at it, he was not suicidal and knew that the really big waves were not for him. His skillset was not good enough for that. But that freak wave had completely blindsided him and thrown him off his game.

Steve tried to orient himself, but it was not easy. The surf was pretty high out here, and he only saw glimpses of the island in the distance. He wondered for a second how he had managed to be that far away from shore in such a short amount of time. His head hammered away and the salt water stung, so he was pretty sure he had a small cut where the board had hit him. Hopefully it wouldn't bleed for too long.

Thankfully his training kicked in as soon as he had hit the water and went under. When the wave buried him and pushed him down to the bottom, whirling him around, he didn't panic. He simply waited out the wave and then came back to the surface. Breaking through, gasping for air.

Steve treaded water and hoped the pounding in his head would stop. It was nauseating and he was pretty sure had there been anything in his stomach he would have fed the fishes by now. A concussion was a pretty sure bet.

Steve knew that trying to swim back to shore was useless, he would never make it against the strong outward current. He could actually feel the pull it had on him, he was already a lot farther out than just a minute ago. Besides where he was now it would surely be deadly to come too close to shore. The waves would smash him into the reef that was to the side of the surfable waters. Trying to make landfall there would end in his death. So the only chance he had was to swim with the current and bide his time.

_This is really bad_, Steve thought as he debated whether to start swimming or not. Swimming would make him lose body heat, but it might get him out of the current if he managed to swim diagonally to the shore until he could make a break for it. Loss of body heat was not a concern right now, but could be a problem if he had to stay in the water for a long time. And if he couldn't get out of the current, well, then it would be a _**very**_ long time he had to tread water.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Aloha Marketplace – 43 hours earlier - Thursday 1130 hours**_

"What are you talking about?" Steve McGarrett looked at his friend and had no idea what was the matter with him today. All day Danny had been on edge and Steve was worried it might have something to do with Gracie.

"I'm talking about you and your little lieutenant."

"My what? You did not just say that." Steve was no longer amused. It was one thing to call him names; Steve had no problem with that, but his girlfriend? He was not going to tolerate that. "What the hell has gotten into you today?"

"Nothing."

"Danny! Wait," Steve called after his friend and hurried to catch up to him. "Danny!"

"What?"

"Will you please tell me what's the matter? Did I do something to upset you?" Steve didn't think he had done or said anything that could have made his partner mad. They had had a quiet day at the office, a rather seldom occurrence. They hadn't left the office all day.

"Yes. Yes, you did, Steven." Danny had finally stopped and looked accusingly at Steve.

"Oh. What did I do?" Steve looked totally perplexed at his friend.

"You really don't know, do you?"

"No, Danny. I'm sorry, but I have no idea."

They had almost reached their destination, the "Cookie-Parlor" at the Aloha Marketplace; a newly opened restaurant that served some of the best desserts, cakes and of course cookies on the islands.

"You broke your promise to Grace."

"What? I… what?" Steve was sure that he didn't have any pending promises. Not to Gracie or anyone else.

"You promised us—"

"US?" Steve looked at Danny, hoping to get an explanation.

"Gracie and I. You promised to take us to the Observatory on the Big Island the next weekend we had off. And that would be this weekend. But you told me that you and Catherine are planning a trip to some fancy resort, and—"

"Danny! First of all we are not going on vacation to some fancy resort, as you call it," Steve interrupted him using air quotes for the resort. "Catherine's parents are coming over for a visit and her dad insisted on staying at the resort instead of my place. And second, when the hell did I promise to take you guys anywhere?" Steve really had no memory of anything like that.

"You said that a few weeks ago, but we talked about it yesterday in the car. You said 'Okay'."

"Danny, I'm sorry. I don't remember," Steve had to admit. "Was that on the way back from the factory?"

"Yeah."

"Um, Danny, I'm sorry, but I kind of, eh, zoned out for a bit on the way back. Sorry." On their way back yesterday Steve had kind of tuned Danny out. He hadn't meant to, but Danny was telling him again about his trip to Jersey in a couple of weeks. And if Steve was honest he just didn't want to listen to it anymore. It was great to hear about it the first ten times, and he was really happy for Danny that he was able to go back to see his family. He really was. But after hearing about it every damn day for the last ten days, well, it was getting on his nerves, best friend or not. So when Danny had started again about the greatness of New Jersey, Steve had simply tuned him out. It had obviously been ill timed.

"But you said okay, and I told Grace you would take us," Danny told him. He was not in the best mood himself and this misunderstanding was getting out of hand.

"We will think of something, Danny. Don't worry, okay? I'll get you there." Steve was sure he would be able to organize the trip even though he might not be able to go with them. "That is why you are pissed at me and have been avoiding me for the last few hours?"

"Well…"

"Ah, Danny. I'm sorry, okay? You know I'd take Gracie anywhere she wanted... or you for that matter." Sometimes Steve couldn't understand his friend. Most of the times he wouldn't shut up, but sometimes when he should talk, he kept quiet.

"Who is Cath with?" Danny asked and pointed to the two women standing in front of the restaurant.

"Her mother. Relax, D, she is nothing like my mom," Steve told his partner with laughter in his voice.

"That's good. One Doris is more than enough, thank you very much."

Steve chuckled at that and waved to his girlfriend and her mother. And not even a second later, all hell broke loose.

H50 – H50 – H50

Witnesses later said it happened just like in the movies. Some said they were reminded of the beginning of _Die Hard with a Vengeance_. The window front of the restaurant was blasted out and people were knocked off their feet.

Glass was flying with high velocity, as were other light and not so light objects that were in the path of the shockwave of the explosion.

Thankfully all windows had been fitted with safety glass, so the shattered window panes didn't turn into deadly projectiles. The rain of glass only resulted in minor injuries.

But enough people were lying scattered on the ground. Groaning and crying from the pain of broken bones and other blast injuries. But others were lying motionless and still.

And then there were the ones coming back to their feet trying to orient themselves and helping other more seriously injured people.

Danny was one of those helping people. He looked around, trying to figure out what had just happened. His gaze fell on his partner, lying just a few feet from him.

Steve was lying on his stomach and wasn't moving.

"Steve!"

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve could feel a hand on his back and hear Danny calling out to him. He was sure the hand also belonged to his partner. But his brain still tried to come up with the solution as to why he was lying on his belly with a ringing in his ears and a throbbing pain behind his temple.

"D?"

"That's it, Steve. Come on, talk to me."

"Wha' happen'?" Steve asked as he slowly turned on his back and opened his eyes to blink up at Danny, who was hovering over him.

Steve reached up to his still throbbing head. He touched the side of it, expecting a gaping hole, but he couldn't find any blood-gushing wounds.

"I think something struck you on the temple. The explosion—"

It was then that the memory slammed into Steve. "Cath!" Steve called out and jumped up, only to stumble into Danny when the head rush hit him.

"Whoa there," Danny grabbed his unsteady friend and held him upright.

Steve took a moment to get his bearings and then pushed away from Danny. He now saw the chaos around them. And his gaze fell on his girlfriend a few feet away.

"Catherine," he called again and was next to her a second later. "Are you okay?"

Cath looked up from her task of turning an unconscious woman into the safety position.

"I'm good. Are you two okay?"

"Fine. What about your mom?" Steve asked as he looked around for Catherine's mother.

"I'm here, Steve," Nancy Rollins called and came over to them with a medical kit in hand.

Steve wondered where she had gotten it from so quickly. "Are you okay?"

"We're not hurt," she told him.

Steve watched Catherine stand up from her kneeling position next to the injured woman and let her mother take over. He knew that she was in good hands; Nancy was a medical doctor after all.

They could hear sirens in the near distance and knew help would be here in a matter of minutes. They helped as best they could, but soon they were more in the way than of any help when the professionals arrived.

Steve, Danny and Cath stepped back and let the pros do the job. Cath's mom, a surgeon on vacation in paradise, lent her expertise and helped where she could. Soon the place was swamped with HPD, the fire department, even a SWAT team.

Steve could see a K9 unit checking for another bomb threat. As long as they didn't know what caused the explosion they had to handle this as an attack.

The task force leader activated a cold pack he was handed by one of the medics and held it to the side of his aching head. Hopefully avoiding any more bruising. His head hurt from the impact from whatever struck him on the temple, but all in all he felt fine.

"Steve, you okay?" Danny asked, remembering him lying on the ground, out cold, not so long ago.

"Yeah, just a bruise, I'm fine. What did the chief have to say?" While Steve had talked to the SWAT team leader, Danny had talked to the Fire Chief.

"Not much. No fire, no dangerous gases or fumes. Forensics need to determine the cause of the explosion. Any news on your side?" Danny asked as he closely examined his friend's head. Very much to Steve's annoyance.

"No obvious explosive devices so far. They have declared the scene safe. Did the chief give you a number of injured?"

"Chief said fifteen, more or less seriously injured, not counting minor injuries like yours. No casualties, no critically injured."

"That could have been a lot worse. Sounds like this had not been aimed to cause the maximum damage," Steve said and blinked at Danny who suddenly wavered out of focus.

"Hey, Steve, you okay?" Of course Danny noticed and grabbed his friend's arm to get his attention.

"Uh huh. A little dizzy," Steve admitted.

"Come on, you need to get checked out." Danny tried to steer Steve into the direction of one of the ambulances still on the scene.

"No, Danny, really, I'm fine."

"Danny is right, you don't look fine, Steve. At least let mom take a look at you," Cath argued in the hope that Steve would concede.

"Fine. But I'm telling you it's a waste of time. I'm fine."

Ten minutes later Catherine's mother indeed told them that Steve was fine, or that he at least didn't show signs of a concussion. She never actually used the word 'fine'. Rather, she said he should watch out for any developing signs of nausea, dizziness, mood swings, severe headache, blurry vision and the like.

"I told you I'm fine. Can we move on now and do our job?" Steve grumbled when he climbed out of the ambulance, still holding the cold pack to his throbbing head. He had to admit the spot on the temple was rather tender and his head hurt like a bitch.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve was pulled from his memories by a wave rolling over him. The waves were getting higher already, he had been sure that the incoming storm was a long way from making landfall. Or in his case, reaching the spot of the ocean Steve was currently bobbing in.

He was still caught in the strong outward current and tried as he might was not able to swim out of it. Steve gently touched his head that was now again throbbing with great intensity, he was sure that he now _**did**_ have a concussion. What the explosion hadn't managed, his surf board had.

Steve turned over onto his back and floated, giving up on swimming for a moment. He was dizzy and his vision wavered in and out. He needed to rest, whether he wanted to or not. He couldn't risk passing out, not while in the water without a life vest or any other floating device. Even as a SEAL he couldn't keep his head above water when unconscious.

He floated on his back and again felt the strong current out to sea. His only hope was that someone was going to miss him soon and start searching for him. But he didn't see that happening.

Cath was with her parents on the Big Island, and he was supposed to meet them later this evening. Chin was still in the hospital, and Kono had taken off with Adam. That left his mom, who was who knows where with Mick; and Danny. Steve hoped Danny would either try to call him or stop by the house this afternoon instead of heading straight to the airstrip to join him on the flight to the Big Island. Steve was supposed to take Gracie and Danny with him when he flew to meet Catherine. But that was still many hours from now. It was not even 0630 and this early in the morning, Danny would still be in dreamland, and not even thinking about getting up for another few hours.

So, for now Steve was on his own. And watching the waves around him, the only thing he could actually see, was not improving his mood.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

**_Please be so kind and leave a review telling me if you're interested to read more._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I am totally overwhelmed by the response to this first chapter. You guys rock. Thank you all so much. Hopefully I can live up to your expactations. I hope you will enjoy the second chapter.**_

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 02 – Keep your head up**

_**Somewhere between Oahu and Kauai, Saturday 0700 hours**_

After ten minutes of just floating and trying to relax as much as possible Steve felt a little better. His head didn't feel like it would explode any more and his vision cleared up. Not that there was much to see, but Steve was still thankful that the blurriness was gone.

The current he was trapped in was still as strong as ever and Steve knew trying to swim against it continued to be useless. But he felt a little stronger now that his head didn't hurt as much anymore, and he turned to start swimming diagonal to the stream again. As much as he tried Steve couldn't even remember the current being in the charts, and normally he knew the waters around Oahu like his own backyard. And since he didn't know anything about this darn stream that was probably taking him to Kauai, he had no idea how wide it really was. And with Steve's luck his next stop would be Midway.

Dark clouds were forming on the horizon as Steve looked at the rising sun that was attempting to peek through. He knew it wouldn't be that long before the wind picked up again, making it impossible to keep any kind of course while swimming. His only chance, and really only course of action was to stay afloat then.

Which shouldn't be a problem, he was a SEAL, damn it. That was what he was telling himself, but in the back of his head he knew drowning was not a foreign concept for SEALs. Just recently a SEAL on a training swim died under tragic circumstances off the coast of Oahu.*

In this kind of weather his chances were certainly better than that of a regular swimmer, but without a floating device, preferably a life jacket, his chances were not that great either.

He estimated that he was about four miles off the North Shore by now. It would take him about two hours to swim that distance, but not in these conditions. There was no way he would make it to shore in that short amount of time. Not even counting in that he was still trapped in the darn current. And not considering his concussion.

Of course he would try as soon as possible to make it back to shore. _As soon as you're out of the stream_, Steve told himself. For now he could only try to swim out of the current and occupy his mind without thinking too much about his gloomy situation.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Governor Denning's office – Thursday 1430 hours**_

"Commander, Detective. Governor Denning is awaiting you. Follow me please," his assistant informed Steve and Danny when they arrived at Denning's office.

"Thank you," Steve told the assistant and followed her with Danny hot on his heels.

They had been called a few minutes ago, after having spoken to Denning just an hour prior. They had given him a full report on what they knew about the bombing to date and had received the green light to investigate the crime. Being called in now couldn't mean anything good.

"Gentlemen, please come in."

"Sir, you said it was urgent?" Steve could see that Denning was agitated and not as calm as he usually was. He definitely looked rattled.

"Yes. I received a package a few minutes ago. It has obviously been in our hands since yesterday, but was halted in processing," Denning told him with clear anger in his voice.

"What package, Sir?" Danny wanted to know.

Denning motioned to the large envelope on his desk. "There are pictures in there. Fifty two to be precise. Possible targets as they say."

"Sir!" Steve interrupted the governor. "Start from the beginning. Who are _**they**_ and who else knows about this?" Steve asked in case the information was already widespread knowledge, which would mean they would have a panic on their hands in a short time.

"Only my personal assistant knows. The envelope was scanned in the mail office, but not opened," Denning said as he sat back down behind his desk. "Debby received it this afternoon and immediately brought it to me. I called you as soon as I took the pictures out."

"Did you touch all of them?" Steve wanted to know as he and Danny went through the stack of photos.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"No, it's okay. Either there are no fingerprints on them or if so, they don't care. Danny, can you call Chin?" Steve knew he didn't need to explain to his second in command what they needed Chin for. He would take all necessary steps to ensure the Governor's safety and organize the surveillance for the entire office. "Sir, we need you to allow us to bug your phone in case they call you," Steve explained to Denning while Danny was already on the phone with their colleague.

"Of course."

"Was there a letter with the photos?"

"Yeah," Denning answered and gave Steve a sheet of paper.

Steve looked at the printed text and shook his head. "Danny, listen to this. '_We want one million in cash. We will contact you Thursday three p.m. – You will have our warning by then. Those photos could all be targets. Don't mess with us. Tell Five-0 it will be our pleasure to watch them trying to catch us.'_ They are very sure of themselves," Steve said after he finished reading the letter to his friend. "We don't have much time. Danny, when will Chin be here?"

"Few minutes, he'll bring the tech guys."

"Good."

"Commander, we need to secure all the other locations."

"We will do that, Governor. But I doubt that there will be another bomb at any of these sites," Steve explained to Denning as he went through the photos. "The explosion could have done a lot more damage, Sir, but it was merely a warning and was not aimed for intense damage. Of course, that doesn't guarantee the safety of the other locations, so we will make sure there are no explosive devices." Steve had talked to Homeland Security while still at the Marketplace and the state had been placed on high alert, but he was sure they would need the help of the armed forces to secure every single location. It would be impossible to search and secure 52 targets with only the help of HPD.

"You will get anything you need, Commander, just make sure no lives are lost to these terrorists," Governor Denning told them.

Steve and Danny looked at Denning, both knowing what he meant with the term 'terrorist', but both were apprehensive about using that word too loosely.

"Sir, we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet—"

"What do you mean, Detective?"

"Before we talk about a terrorist attack, which would cause a panic, we need more facts. All we have now looks like a common criminal who wants money," Danny tried to explain their major concern.

Steve saw that Denning thought about Danny's words, and tried to elaborate some more. "Sir, after all the tragic events lately, we should be very cautious about what we tell the public. We don't need a panic on our hands. And, Sir, Danny is right; this doesn't look like the work of terrorists. Their goal is very different and they wouldn't have sent a warning like this."

The governor sighed in frustration, but nodded his agreement. "I understand. So, what _**are**_ we going to do?"

Before Steve could explain their next steps, Chin entered and explained the equipment he had with him, and introduced two men from the HPD's science department, who would take care of the surveillance in the Governor's office.

"Now we wait, Sir," Chin told Denning after everything had been set-up.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Danny William's apartment – Saturday 0730 hours**_

Danny cursed at his darn phone that was pulling him out of such wonderful dreams. Dreams of New Jersey, of civilization really. Despite being grumpy about being awoken at this ungodly hour he had to smile at the thought of his hometown.

" 'allo?" Danny grumbled into the phone without looking to see who dared to wake him.

"Danny?"

"Catherine?" Hearing her voice woke him up completely. If she called him at this hour something must be wrong.

"Danny, I'm really sorry to call you this early. But I'm heading out on a tour with my parents in a few minutes, and we won't have any reception then."

So far he still had no idea why that made her call him. Unless…

"I can't reach Steve. It goes straight to voicemail. Guess he is out."

"Knowing him he's probably out swimming despite the bad weather," Danny said, shaking his head at his friend's work-out schedule no matter what the weather was.

"Maybe. Listen, Danny. Can you please call him as soon as possible and see if he can change the flight schedule to an earlier time?"

"What? Why do we have to be there earlier?" Danny asked.

"There is this boy-group staying at the resort, the one Grace likes so much. And they are giving a 'private' concert here at the resort, this evening. I have tickets for Gracie. But you guys need to be here by five p.m. the latest. At the hotel. So, you have to start early."

"Are you serious? YOU just advanced to the head of Gracie's favorite aunt ever list," Danny told her, happy for his daughter. "I'll make sure that Steve gets us there in time. Thank you, Catherine."

"You're welcome. Now I have to go. See you all soon, Danny."

"Yeah, have fun on your little trip. Hey! Is the weather still good at your place?"

"Perfect. The storm won't affect us much. Gotta go, Danny."

Danny also ended the call, and dialed his friend right away. But without any luck; it went straight to voicemail. He got out of bed and disappeared in the bathroom, determined to go see Steve after a shower and breakfast. And after he picked up Grace from her mom's place.

Whistling a Bon Jovi tune, he knew this was going to be a great day.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Governor Denning's office – Thursday 1500 hours**_

On the dot at three p.m. the phone rang and after Chin gave him the signal, Denning picked up.

"Denning."

"Governor. Is Five-0 there?" They heard a man's voice over the speaker.

Steve nodded at the Governor and he affirmed their presence.

"Good. I'm sure you're trying to trace the call." He chuckled. "Good luck with that."

Chin shook his head at Steve's questioning look. They all could see the trace jumping all over the map. One thing was for sure, those guys knew what they were doing.

"What should I call you?" Denning asked one of the questions he was given by Steve and Danny.

"Oh, question 101. Fine. Call me Jack."

"Just Jack?" Denning played for time.

"Governor, I don't care if you call me Jack, Dick or Tom, take your pick. Now, stop playing around. Here is what we want. One million in 50 Dollar bills. In three military backpacks."

Steve was already calculating how to stash away 20,000 bills. That would be a lot to carry. But a whole lot easier than $20 bills.

"We don't negotiate with terrorists," Denning answered him.

"Well, then it is a good thing we are not terrorists. WE only want the money. If you're not willing to pay, our next bomb will come without a warning. And our next target will hurt you. I promise you that."

Steve looked at Denning, nodding at him to agree with Jack. They could try to catch him during the delivery.

"Okay."

"Good choice, Governor. Today, six p.m. McGarrett will deliver the money. Alone. No tricks, no weapons. To make sure of that, he should arrive barefoot and in his undies. Keep your phone on, McGarrett, I'm going to call you."

They all heard the line being disconnected.

"Chin, anything?" Steve asked into the silence.

"No. Sorry, but he's clever. It was not traceable, we didn't even get close."

"He seems to know you," Danny mumbled.

Steve felt the same way, and tried to place the voice, but was pretty sure he had never heard it before. "But I don't know him."

"You're not actually going to do that? I mean unarmed and in your, well, your underwear?" Danny asked his friend.

"Do we have a choice?" Steve was not looking forward to being so exposed, without a gun. And he for sure wouldn't go without back-up and the best possible protection. He turned to Denning, "Can you put together the money in that short a time?"

"Yeah, no problem. You don't plan to give them the money?"

"No, of course not." Steve shook his head and explained that they at least had to have some of the money to show during the delivery. "Don't worry, he won't get the money, instead he will find himself in handcuffs."

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Somewhere between Oahu and Kauai, Saturday 0800 hours**_

Steve had to shake his head at thinking about his own confidence of arresting Jack, his false confidence at the time. His thoughts again got interrupted by the next big wave rolling over him and pushing him deep under.

It was a little struggle to come back to the surface but after a few seconds, he managed to pop out of the water again. Steve was bobbing in the rougher sea and was suddenly aware that he was not being pulled outward anymore. He was finally out of the stream, or the current had faded out. Whatever the case, he was not on his way to Midway any longer.

Now he could start concentrating on going back to shore. But he soon realized that was an endeavor he would not succeed in. Steve would give it his best shot, but he knew it would be impossible to swim back in these conditions. His best chance was to stay afloat and wait to be found.

Of course, the problem with that was that no one knew that he was missing or where he was. He had been in the water for more or less two and a half hours by now. Not really a long time, not for a good swimmer like himself. But he could slowly feel the cold creeping into his body.

People always thought it would be impossible to get hypothermia in the warm waters around Hawaii. But they thought wrong. _If the water is cooler than the body you __**will**__ get hypothermia_, Steve thought about what his instructor had always told them. It was only a matter of time.

His instructors also told them never to turn your back to the waves, but how do you do that with the waves coming from all sides? Out here it was not like a steady flow in one direction. The waves were not just rolling toward the shore. So it was a real problem to keep his eyes on the waves, to prepare himself for the one or other breaking one. He had been caught in a few of them already, and every time it had robbed him of valuable energy. Energy he desperately needed to keep his head above the water.

The last exertion to make it back to the surface had brought back his headache with a vengeance. Nausea was rising again, and he felt dizzy and slightly disoriented. It was time to rest again. Steve felt like the intervals he could actually swim grew shorter. Not a good sign. His head hammered away again with great intensity and he wished nothing more than to close his eyes and lay down.

Of course if he would give in for just a second he'd be dead. The ocean was unforgiving, and one second of not paying attention would be the end of him. So he tried to push down the nauseating pain and not give in to the urge to close his eyes… even for just a few seconds.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

_*** Sadly that tragic training accident did happen not that long ago. A SEAL died when he was seperated from his group and drowned. The report can be found on Hawaiian News Now.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all so much for reading. Also thanks for all your alerts. **

**I hope you will enjoy this new chapter.**

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 03 - FUBR  
**

_**Somewhere between Oahu and Kauai, Saturday 0830 hours**_

Steve felt like no matter how hard he fought against the waves he was not getting closer to shore. And his feeling was not that far off, he had only managed a few feet in the last half hour. The waves continued to come from all directions, throwing him back the short distance he had managed to swim. So much so that his forward momentum was practically non-existent.

Steve again stopped swimming and turned onto his back. He alternated every few minutes from his usually effective sidestroke to back floating and just kicking his legs. Normally Steve would be able to swim for hours before he started to cramp up. But he could feel his muscles tensing by the minute and he knew without more rest periods he would get in trouble when his legs started cramping.

"Shit!" Steve had just enough time to yell the explicit before another huge wave crashed down on him. It completely submerged him again and only his training kept Steve from instinctively gasping in surprise when his back hit something hard. Without even knowing it he had reached the shallow waters of a sandbank and he gulped in air when the water subsided.

After realizing that he was not in open water any longer he tried to stand up, but of course that was a futile attempt. The waves had reached a height of more than five feet now. And breaking waves of that magnitude knock you off your feet. Adding the normal depth of two feet over the sandbank, there was no way Steve could stand up. He only managed to get to his feet for a second before a new wave was either so high that he had to swim again, or it broke and crashed into him, throwing him off his feet.

Steve fought for a couple of minutes but soon realized his situation over the sandbank was more dangerous than swimming in the deep water where at least the waves didn't break over him. So, he stopped fighting against the pull of the waves and soon he was back in deeper waters. In comparison to the choppy sea over the sandbank this was almost calm.

It gave him a real boost when he discovered that he had finally made progress toward the shore. If he could keep this direction and speed of swimming, he might even be able to make it to shore on his own. But deep down, he knew that was only wishful thinking; the waves would soon change direction again, and therefore dictate his direction as well.

But at least he could entertain the idea of making it out of this situation in one piece, and with a huge amount of luck he might even be able to save himself.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Five-0 Headquarters - Thursday 1700 hours**_

Steve felt a little ridiculous standing in his office in just his running shorts. Sure the blackmailer had said to come in his undies, but Steve was not willing to run around just in his boxer briefs. If Jack insisted, he could still take the shorts off.

"Uh, what kind of show is this?" Cath asked, grinning while opening the office door to allow her mother to enter first.

Steve inwardly groaned, that was just what he needed; an audience. Not only his girlfriend, but also her _**mother**_!

"Very funny," Steve grumbled as he pulled the thin concealable vest over his head.

"Steve, what's this about?" All humor had left Catherine's voice and was replaced with clear worry.

"Just a precaution, don't worry," Steve said as he struggled fastening the new vest in the back. It felt kind of strange on the naked skin. Normally even an under vest was worn over a tee shirt and not on bare skin.

Cath stepped closer and fastened the Velcro for him. "Is it okay like this?" She asked about the tightness of the vest while rubbing her hand up his spine. If it was too loose it could cause more injury on impact, but too tight would hinder breathing. And that was surely not desirable.

"Yeah, it's good, thanks." Steve smiled at her and pulled the dark blue tee over the vest.

"Why are you wearing this?" Cath motioned to his whole outfit of just running shorts and now a tee shirt.

Steve explained about the situation and the upcoming money delivery.

"He wants you to come in your undies?" Realizing what she had just said, Cath blushed furiously and hastily corrected herself, looking at her grinning mother, "I mean go, GO in your underwear."

"Could we please stop discussing my state of undress?" Steve asked and looked sternly at his girlfriend.

"You know, you two are always a great source of entertainment for me."

Cath and Steve looked at Nancy Rollins who was still grinning, and Steve just shook his head at her. But he was glad that Cath's mom was really cool and that she actually liked him. He had been nervous when they had first met. But his worries had been completely unfounded.

"But you're not going without back-up, are you?" Cath wanted to know.

"No, of course not, we will be close by," Danny interrupted and came fully into the slightly crowded office.

"That's right; Danny and the team will cover me the whole time. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen," Steve tried to reassure Cath and Nancy.

"Can we help?"

"You can't be part of the operation, Cath, you know that." Steve knew that she would be an asset, and as a member of the Navy she was allowed to help with Intel, but not to actively participate in a police operation. Not without the okay from the Governor and the Navy high-ups.

"I know, but if it's okay we would like to be close by and watch, or help with the surveillance van? I'm sure we could help in _some_ way?"

"Steve, it couldn't hurt to have a doctor nearby." Danny seemed to like their idea.

"Fine. Talk to Kono, she will be in the van. BUT you are not to leave the van. You will only observe. Is that clear?" Steve was not willing to explain how two Navy people were involved in the OP if something went wrong.

"Yes, absolutely. Observe, stay in the van. Yes, Sir."

Steve looked at his girlfriend and tried to figure out if she was mocking him or not, but decided to not think about it. As long as she stayed in the van, he didn't care what she thought about his order. So he settled on a nod of his head and a simple "Good".

"Steve, the money just arrived, that's actually why I came in. Are you ready?" Danny spoke up again.

"Yeah, almost," Steve said and picked up a small box and took the little ear piece out that connected him to his team. He then gently placed it into his left ear, "Now I'm ready."

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve stopped his truck and killed the engine. He had followed the directions Jack had given him on the phone and was now in the middle of a gravel quarry. He could see big piles of gravel all over the huge old plant.

This was a really good spot for the handover… for the other guys. Steve was completely exposed and his team had to stay back in order not to be seen. It would take them a minute or two to reach him. They of course had sound, but they couldn't see what was happening.

"You guys hear me?" Steve asked into the quiet.

"Loud and clear," came Kono's answer. "Chin and Danny are in position. One minute out."

"Okay. No one's here, I'm still in the truck."

Steve had barely finished speaking when his phone announced an incoming text.

"I'm supposed to get out and place the backpacks ten feet from the back of the truck. They might watch me," Steve told Kono the content of the message.

Steve opened the door and looked down at the ground and then to his feet, his bare feet. "Shit."

"Steve, what's wrong?" He heard Kono's alarmed voice.

"Nothing, just that I know why he wanted me barefoot. Ouch," Steve cursed when he yet again stepped on another sharp little stone.

Steve made his way to the back of the truck and deposited the first two packs before he made his way back to get the last one. All three were now sitting at his feet waiting to change hands.

"Steve, incoming traffic. They are on trail bikes. You want us to close in, or wait?"

"Close in."

Steve knew that it would take his team and the supporting HPD at least a minute to come close enough for any kind of intervention. But they didn't have any alternative plans; they couldn't risk standing by too closely if they wanted to have a chance to apprehend the blackmailers before they bolted upon seeing HPD or Five-0.

He watched the three bikes coming closer and he cursed again when they stopped in front of him, peppering him with gravel. He took a few hits from more or less big stones all over his lower body. He was sure he would get a few bruises on his legs.

"Steve, thirty seconds." He heard Kono's voice and knew he needed to stall for a little more time.

Before he could even say his first word, Jack spoke. "McGarrett, say good-bye to your team."

Steve didn't even have time to react before two bullets found their targets. The impact caused him to jerk backwards and he hit the ground with a thud. He blinked and tried to take in a breath, but simply couldn't. He felt no pain, not yet. Steve's vision turned gray and he knew he would pass out any second now. Just before it actually happened he heard another shot but didn't feel the impact before everything turned to black.

H50 – H50 – H50

_"Loud and clear, Chin and Danny are in position. One minute out."_ Chin heard his cousin's voice in his earpiece and started his bike to get ready to intervene as soon as Steve gave the signal.

He listened to Steve cursing about the gravel he had to walk on, and had to smile at his friend's choice of words. Chin turned all business when he heard Steve give the _GO_ as soon as the blackmailers entered the quarry.

Chin made good time on his Harley and entered the plant's outskirts just as Jack stopped in front of Steve. Chin took in the three guys on their off-road bikes, their dark clothes, weapons and helmets with dark visors.

The obvious leader was standing about five feet from Steve when he suddenly raised his gun and fired two shots. Chin watched in horror how Steve stumbled and fell on his back. It worried Chin how still his friend was lying on the ground, he didn't struggle to get back onto his feet or away from the threat. He was obviously more than dazed.

Chin knew that the thin vest should have stopped the bullets from entering, but also knew that the concealable vests were not as good in absorbing the punch of the high velocity bullets as their normal tactical vests were. Getting shot from that close could cause serious injury, even if the bullet didn't rip into the chest.

He watched as the leader motioned for his two teammates to grab the money packs and how he stepped closer to Steve, obviously to finish him off. Chin didn't wait any longer but swung up his shotgun and fired at the guy who was just about to shoot Steve.

Chin's shot went wide and only the one or other pellet hit Jack without doing much damage. But it was enough to get his attention. Chin watched as Jack turned in one fluid motion, raised his gun and he felt the impact almost at the same time. The bullet hit him just above his clavicle. It threw him off his bike, and he impacted hard on the ground, skidded and rolled over the gravel before he came to a stop lying on his back. He had lost consciousness on impact and now a fountain of blood spurted out of the bullet wound with every beat of his heart.

H50 – H50 – H50

He couldn't have been out for more than a minute, Steve thought as he struggled to come awake. Steve felt something soft under his head and a voice was trying to coax him back to consciousness. There was a lot of noise all around him, but he couldn't make much sense of it.

Steve took a deep breath and regretted the action instantly. He couldn't keep from groaning at the sharp pain cutting into his chest. With it came the memory of getting shot.

"Damn," Steve called out as he opened his eyes with a start.

He looked into the very concerned face of Catherine, who hovered over him. "Stay down, Steve. You need to lay still."

"Wha'?"

"You took two bullets to the vest," Catherine informed him.

Steve looked down at his now bare chest and could see two impressive bruises were already forming pretty much in the middle of his breastbone. He became aware that his head rested on his folded shirt and the front part of his vest and realized that maybe he had been out for longer than he thought.

" 'm fine," Steve said and sat up.

That was not a good idea, the pain intensified tenfold and the move made him instantly nauseous. But he ignored it upon seeing the scene in front of him.

Chin was on the ground in a pool of blood. Nancy kneeled next to his head and kept pressure on a wound that Steve thought was way too close to his neck.

"What the hell!" Steve made it to his feet despite Cath's protest, and talking about dangerous bruising.

Right, Chin was just bleeding to death and his girlfriend was worried about some bruising. Even though Steve felt light headed and very sick to his stomach, he made his way over to Chin and kneeled next to him. "How is he?" He addressed Nancy.

"Not good, we're waiting for the chopper, it should be here any minute," Nancy answered without taking her fingers out of the wound. But she looked intently at Steve. "You need to lay down, Steve."

"What?" _Has everyone gone nuts?_ Steve thought about the strange behavior of the two women who wanted him to lie down. He was not the one dying right now.

"You're showing every sign of a myocardial contusion, you _have_ to lie down," Nancy repeated her plea.

"What?"

"I think you suffered bruising to the heart muscle. Steve, that is life threatening. Please lie down until you can be checked out."

Steve looked at Nancy and for the first time became aware how much his chest really hurt, how his heart was racing, and the nausea was also not normal. He felt extremely dizzy, probably due to low blood pressure, and he was short of breath. He knew all signs of trauma to the chest, but he hoped the bruising didn't actually reach his heart. That would be bad, really bad.

"Where are Danny and Kono?" Steve asked as he allowed Cath to help him lying lie back down. He had only seen a lot of HPD running around, securing the scene. But he couldn't make out any of his team among them.

"Still on the chase," Cath said over the noise of the rescue chopper.

The medics who had helped Nancy with Chin were now preparing him for the immediate transport to Tripler as soon as the chopper sat down. Steve leaned back against Catherine, who had sat down with him and offered her body now as a cushion, and watched the rescue crew doing their job.

He felt oddly detached from the scene and tried to slow his breathing, but was only partially successful with it. Steve felt guilty sitting on the ground, just watching, letting the others do the job. It was his job to be there for his team, to keep them safe, but it seemed that Chin was the one who had saved him from getting killed.

Steve suddenly realized that Nancy was addressing him, trying to get his attention. She placed the palm of her hand against his face, hoping he would focus on her. "Steve, are you with us?"

"Yeah." That didn't sound very convincing.

"Listen, we will take you to the hospital by ambulance. You just relax, okay?"

"No, I have… to stay… here." Damn, he couldn't even speak without gulping in air between words.

"Steve, listen to me," Nancy spoke to him calmly but again with her serious doctor face. "You might be seriously injured. We will only know how serious after some tests. But you have to go to the hospital. That is not negotiable."

"Take me to Tripler?"

"Yeah, we'll take you to the Army facility. You can check on Chin then." Nancy smiled as she knew what his question had been about.

"Okay."

Steve used the time until they were ready to load him into the ambulance to look around the scene. Duke obviously had everything under control. People were milling around, doing their job. Steve looked in wonder at the three military packs. "They didn't take the money?"

"No, two guys gave chase as soon as they saw Chin, and the third ran after he shot him." Duke had come over and informed Steve of what had happened after he had passed out. "Danny, Kono and a few HPDs are still on the chase. They will get them, Steve."

Again Steve felt like he should be with Danny and Kono, and not lying on a gurney when all he suffered were some bruises. He felt like he had messed up big time. His friend and colleague was seriously injured, the bad guys on the run. At least the money had not been lost.

All in all this was one fucked up operation, but Steve felt like he was missing a big part of the picture. Something was not right.

H50 – H50 – H50


	4. Chapter 4

**Open Water – Chapter 04 - What happened?  
**

_**Honolulu, Saturday 0930 hours, Anytime Café on Kapiolani Blvd.**_

Danny had called Steve four times now, and every time he had only gotten as far as his voicemail. Danny was not worried yet, not really, but there was this voice in the back of his head that told him to double his efforts to reach Steve.

"Detective Williams, so nice to see you again," Mekie greeted him. "Are you alone today, where's your friend?" The friendly elderly waitress asked him.

Steve and Danny had had breakfast at the café a few times in the last weeks. It was a good place with great breakfast varieties and good service.

"Hi, Mekie. Yeah, it's just me today. I'm running a little late, can I have the usual?" Danny didn't want to waste any time with his normal ritual of reading the menu even though he mostly ended up with the same anyway.

"Sure, I'll be right back with your coffee and toast," Mekie told him smiling. She was by now used to his normal order of French Toast with strawberries on the side, _**never**_ on the toast, God forbid to put fruit _**on**_ his meal, and also on the side bacon and scrambled eggs.

"Thank you, Mekie."

Danny took his phone out and dialed Steve for what felt like the umpteenth time. But again he only reached his voicemail, and just like every time before Danny left a message to call him back as soon as he got this.

On a whim he tried the landline at the office, but of course no one answered. Chin was still in the hospital and Kono with Adam.

Lastly, he called the front desk at Five-0 headquarters and left a message to inform Commander McGarrett to call him should he march into HQ.

A minute later Danny dug into his breakfast, but he couldn't really enjoy it. His thoughts were with his friend, wondering where the heck he was.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**At the same time between Oahu and Kauai**_

Steve had been in the water for three and a half hours now; an incredibly long time for a normal person to swim in the open water of the ocean, not so for a SEAL. But Steve was injured, and he found it harder to swim the longer he stayed in the water.

The wind had picked up again, and Steve was sure the waves had reached ten feet by now. It was really hard to tell without them breaking, although it was a good thing that they didn't. It was a steady up and down, but he still felt like he made some headway and was not just bobbing in the water.

At the moment there was really not much for Steve to do other than try to stay afloat and make his way nearer to the shore. So, he let his mind drift again and thought back to the case they had just closed.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center, Thursday 2000 hours**_

When Steve had arrived at the hospital over an hour ago, he first had tried to learn what was going on with Chin, but his watchdog Nancy wouldn't let him out of her sight. At least he was able to convince Catherine to find out what was going on with his friend.

"Nancy, I'm telling you I'm fine," Steve again tried his luck to tell her that he really was okay now. "Look, they did a CT and it was all good."

"Save your breath, Steven," Captain Nancy Rollins interrupted him. "We are waiting for the ECG and the specialist to take a look at you before you can even entertain the idea to get off that bed."

Steve glared at her, which only made her grin even more. He knew that she only had his best interest in mind, but he needed to get back into the game. He still didn't know what had happened to Kono and Danny, or to the three suspects. He needed to find that out. Steve looked at her and tried a different approach.

"Nancy, I really appreciate your concern. But I feel a lot better now, I'm not dizzy, I can breathe just fine, and I'm sure my heart is perfectly fine as well," he told her with a smile that he knew worked like a charm on the female population.

Obviously it had no effect on a Navy Captain who happened to be the mother of his girlfriend. She looked at him totally unimpressed.

"I wondered when you would get the smile out," was all she said.

"Hmpf," Steve grumbled and chose to look out the window into the night.

"Steve," Nancy softly began. "I know you want to be with your team. I completely understand that. But you have to understand that a contusion to the heart muscle IS a life threatening injury, even if you feel well now. We have to make sure that the bruising didn't reach your heart. I promise as soon as the cardiologist gives his okay you can leave."

"Okay," Steve conceded. "But I really feel fine."

"I know. But barely two hours ago you were showing every sign of a serious injury, and you were far from okay. There might be nothing wrong, but we need to make sure."

"Can you please try and find out what is going on with Chin, and where Catherine disappeared to?"

"Only if you promise to stay right here," Nancy answered and waited for him to agree.

"I'll stay here and wait for the cardiologist," Steve promised and breathed a sigh of relief when she finally went to see what was going on with Chin Ho.

He leaned his head back and took a deep breath, something he could do now without gasping in pain like he still was doing about an hour ago. There was an impressive bruise forming on his chest, but the CT already showed that nothing was broken or even cracked.

Steve had told them repeatedly that he had had way worse and that their worry was unfounded. Although he had to admit when the bullet hit it had felt like he had been kicked by an elephant. The pain hadn't been that bad in the beginning, but the punch he took had knocked all air out of him and left him like a fish out of the water. That was why he had passed out. _Lack of oxygen tends to do that to a person_; Steve had to chuckle at the thought.

"Very good, Commander, you're in a good mood. I take it you're feeling better?" Dr. Milton Kilani asked. He had just entered the trauma room Steve still occupied.

"Actually, I do. I feel fine," Steve told the cardiologist.

"Well, let's see how accurate that assessment of yours is," Kilani said and studied the chart he brought with him.

"Are those my test results?"

"Yes. Your cardiac enzymes are all in normal range. Your echocardiogram also looks good, no fluids in the pericardium—"

"That is something around the heart, right?" Steve remembered from his training.

"Yes, it's a thin sac surrounding the heart. Blood or fluid can gather there and cause problems. But you don't have to worry, your echo looks perfectly normal."

"I told you I'm fine." Steve couldn't remember how often he had told that to everyone who was willing to listen.

Kilani only smiled, he had dealt often enough with SEALs and other special forces guys and knew they were always 'fine'. "Your ECG shows no abnormality. I still would prefer you agreed to a twenty-four-hour ECG, just to be on the safe side."

"If I can have that 'to go' we can do that, otherwise, I'm outta here." Steve hadn't heard anything so far that showed him any reason to stay even a minute longer.

"Actually, we can do that 'to go'." Dr. Kilani had to laugh at Steve's surprised face. "It is a very small device, nothing like those things with a big battery pack you might know. It's just a pulsometer around your chest. The data is written on a chip."

"I use one of those when I go on a run of more than five miles," Steve told his doctor.

"I think we should do that. Sometimes a reaction to the trauma can be delayed, if nothing out of the ordinary shows up in your 24-hour ECG, then we know for sure that you got away unharmed. Well, except for that stunning bruise," Milton said and motioned to the by now purple bruise over Steve's sternum.

"Doesn't hurt much," Steve said and gently touched the angry contusion.

"Give it a few hours," the doctor told Steve smiling, knowing from own experience how painful such a bruise can get. "Okay, we will put the device on you, and then you're good to go. IF you experience any unusual pain, shortness of breath, racing heartbeat, call 9-1-1 right away."

"Will do," Steve said, but was sure that nothing like that would happen.

Fifteen minutes later Steve was finally allowed to leave after he signed his discharge papers. He was by now really worried that neither Catherine nor Nancy had come back from their task to find out what was wrong with Chin.

Papers in hand Steve made his way to the surgical ward where he knew he would at least find Chin, if not also his girlfriend and her mother.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve wondered why he hadn't heard anything from either his partner or Kono. It had been two hours since the botched-up operation and he was still out of the loop. That had to change. But before he could even try to call Danny he ran into the rest of his team on his way to the elevator.

"Steve!"

He turned upon hearing his friend calling his name and waited for them to reach him.

"How is Chin?" Kono asked when they stood eye to eye.

"I don't know," Steve had to admit.

"What do you mean you don't know? I thought you went with him! Why don't you know how he is?" Kono almost yelled at him.

Steve knew that she was driven by worry for her cousin, he could understand that, but it was still no reason to yell at him.

"I was just on my way to find out," Steve told her trying to calm her down.

"Where the heck have you been until now?"

It dawned on Steve that neither Kono nor Danny knew what had happened to him. He wondered what he had missed after he had passed out.

"Steve, are you okay? Where is your shirt? And why are you dressed in scrubs?" Danny asked before Kono could start another tirade.

Steve looked down at his attire, at the bluish scrubs he was wearing. His tee shirt had two neat bullet holes in it and was beyond repair. And he hadn't been wearing pants to begin with. So, he should probably be grateful that he was not forced to run around in his underwear.

"I'm fine. Let's find out about Chin, then you can fill me in on where you have been," Steve said as he pressed the button for the elevator.

"You sure you're okay? Duke said you were unconscious for a while?" Danny asked and looked at his friend with a critical eye.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm _**fine**_, Danny. Tell me what happened after Chin was hit, I didn't come to until Nancy was already tending to him, and you guys were nowhere to be seen." Steve asked again.

"I was a few seconds behind Chin, and Kono was about half a minute out. When I entered the plant's grounds I only saw three bikes just taking off. Chin was on the ground, and you were struggling to get up," Danny recounted the events from earlier. "Steve, I had no idea that you passed out almost right after. Two units from HPD were right behind me, so I didn't stop and took off after the bikes."

"You did the right thing, Danny," Steve assured his friend.

"When I reached the scene, Captain Rollins was out of the van even before I was. She took over from one of the HPD officers," Kono chimed in, still obviously distraught. "Danny called for back-up… and I wasn't sure whether to go or stay…"

"Kono, it's okay, HPD and a _**doctor**_ were on the scene. Danny needed you more than we did," Steve tried to make her see reason. "You went after Danny?"

"Yeah. But when I reached him, he had already lost all three of them. We didn't have a chance against their bikes."

"HPD and I split up, going after the bikes, but we couldn't keep up with them, Steve." Danny was still angry that they got away.

"Okay. Do we have anything on them? License plates, type of bikes, anything?" Steve wanted to know as they stepped into the elevator.

"Yeah, we've got a BOLO out, but I wouldn't hold my breath. They are gone, Steven. And I bet the plates were stolen," Danny said with clear frustration in his voice. "Hey, you okay. Steve?"

Steve felt Danny's hand on his arm and looked at his friend. "Yeah, I just tried to remember his voice. I… I don't know, Danny, something doesn't seem right about all this."

"Boss?"

"Yeah, Kono?" Steve looked at their youngest member who had finally calmed down.

"Sorry for before…"

"Hey, it's okay," Steve told her, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. "We're all worried about Chin." Steve smiled at her reassuringly. He knew that she didn't mean to yell at him, or worse, that she thought he didn't care about her cousin.

"Were you in the ER the whole time?"

That was a question Steve had hoped wouldn't come up again, but he obviously had to tell them what had happened on his side during the last hour.

When he was finished with his tale they had reached the surgical ward where they saw Nancy and Catherine in a discussion with what looked to be a doctor. They looked up when they saw the team coming out of the elevator.

"Nancy, what's going on? How is Chin?" Steve asked as soon as they were in earshot. He looked at the small group and could see that Nancy was only seconds from descending on the Army Captain. For a moment Steve wondered why he was still a captain at his age, but lost the train of thought when Nancy spoke up.

"Dr. Duvall doesn't want to tell us anything," Nancy answered and sent daggers at the doctor.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander McGarrett, and Lieutenant Kelly is a member of my team. This is Officer Kalakaua, Chin's cousin." Steve motioned to Kono and continued in a voice that left no room for discussion. "Now, Captain, tell us what is going on with Lieutenant Kelly."

"Of course. I apologize, but hospital policy—"

"Doctor!" Steve had had enough now.

"Sorry, Commander. Lieutenant Kelly is in recovery at the moment. The bullet hit an artery and he lost a huge amount of blood. We were able to repair the damage though. Luckily there was only minimal tissue-, and no bone-damage."

They all sighed in relief, but looked at the doctor who obviously wasn't finished.

"However… as I said the blood loss was extensive… Lieutenant Kelly coded twice… there was just not enough blood for his heart to pump… we're not sure about the long term effects yet."

"Long term? He's going to be alright, isn't he?" Kono interrupted.

"We can't say for sure at this point."

"Doctor, what are you not saying?" Steve just waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Lieutenant Kelly is unresponsive, and we're not sure about the extent of brain damage."

H50 – H50 – H50


	5. Chapter 5

_**I'm so sorry I fell behind answering all your lovely reviews. If you didn't get a pm from me, I apologize. It was not intentionally. I know I have missed a few. But please know I really greatly appreciate every single one of them.**_

_**And since I won't have time to post Monday morning, you get the chapter early. Here is the newest one, the longest yet. Hope you will enjoy it.**_

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 05 - Out of luck?**

_**Between Oahu and Kauai – Saturday 1015 hours**_

Steve gasped in pain, and swallowed a big gulp of water as he involuntarily bent down to grab his cramping calf muscle. He had swallowed quite a bit of the salty water since he had been knocked off his board and the latest gulp made him gag, which turned into retching and when he was done with that, into coughing.

Steve knew that the biggest dangers of cramping muscles were not the cramping and pain itself, but the following uncontrolled movement, swallowing of water, inability to draw in air and staying calm and afloat. Most people panicked in such a situation and simply drowned.

Even though Steve wasn't in danger of panicking, the cramping muscles still hurt like hell and he had swallowed a lot of water and had thrown up. But his training kept him afloat easily and so he was able to rest after the worst of the coughing fit was over. He turned on his back, grabbed his toes and tried to stop his leg from cramping up.

It was clear that his body temperature was dropping drastically and if he had to stay in the water for much longer, cramping muscles would be the least of his concerns.

It took a few more minutes of stretching the aching muscles until he could let go of his leg and stretch out. Steve was grateful that the sea was rather calm at the moment. Yes, there was still a high swell, but that in itself was not dangerous. The one or other freak wave that was breaking over him, that was the real danger. And that was not happening at the moment.

Despite the high swell, the surface of the sea was rather calm. So it was no problem to lay outstretched and catch his breath. Steve worried when another shiver ran through his body; a clear indicator that he was close to becoming hypothermic.

Of course, Steve knew he should make himself as small as possible. Pull his knees up, keeping his groin area closed, giving the colder water as little surface as possible to zap the warmth out of his body. Knowing that and doing it were two different things though. He couldn't curl into a ball without a floating device.

Steve looked around, but nothing but water greeted him. He knew he was in big trouble; it was clear to him that he would not make it to land on his own. And he also knew that with the head injury, which hadn't taken kindly to his bout of retching and coughing, his ability to stay afloat was drastically shortened.

He would never give up, not until he was lying on the bottom of the ocean, but if he passed out, well then it was over, no matter what. Since his tumble into the ocean, he had been close to passing out a few times. And the hypothermia was not helping matters at all. With the cold creeping into his body, his chances of survival diminished by the minute. SEAL or no SEAL.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**McGarrett's house – Saturday 1015 hours**_

Danny stepped out of the Camaro and looked around the place. No truck in sight.

"Danno, his car isn't here."

"I know, Monkey. I just want to check if we can find out where he went. Maybe he left a note or something."

"Why would he leave a note, Danno?" His daughter asked a good question. Danny had picked up Grace on his way over and told her that her Uncle Steve wasn't answering his phone.

"Ehm, maybe for his mom."

"Uh huh." Even Gracie didn't buy that logic.

After knocking and not receiving an answer, Danny used the spare key Steve had given him a while ago for emergencies.

Danny carefully opened the door, not sure what to expect. But nothing looked out of the ordinary. "Yo, Steven! Anyone home?" Danny called out just in case.

They went through the living room and entered the kitchen, but there was nothing to see. The only thing out of place was a used glass in the sink. Steve had probably used it to drink some juice before he headed out.

The two of them made their way out of the kitchen and upstairs into the bedroom. Danny noticed with a smile that the bed was made. _But seriously who makes the bed in the wee hours of the morning? A neat freak like Steven_, Danny thought.

"Danno, where do you think Uncle Steve went?"

That was another great question from his daughter, one he didn't have a quick answer to.

"I don't know, Grace. But we will find out," Danny reassured her.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**North Shore - 1015 hours **_

Kawika made his way to one of his favorite surf spots on the islands. Now would be the perfect time to surf the big waves that were coming in.

If tourists were still out in the light drizzle that had started a few minutes ago, they for sure wouldn't be in the water. Only experienced surfers like himself would go in during these conditions.

Normally Kawika tried to catch the early waves, but he had wanted to wait for the bigger ones the incoming storm would bring.

The tropical storm had been downgraded to a depression about an hour ago, but still threw quite a punch. It would affect Oahu but they were pretty sure it wouldn't do much damage on land. Still Kawika was glad none of his family or friends were out fishing today; it would not be a good idea to be in open water. They still expected high waves and the one or other thunderstorm, but that was nothing much to worry about.

But as far as he knew the storm wouldn't affect the airlines or the Big Island, they would get away unscathed. One less thing to worry about, he thought, thinking about his elderly makuahine living on the biggest of the islands.

Kawika took a double take at seeing McGarrett's truck idly parked in the lot. He knew that the head of Five-0 went surfing regularly, but he remembered Steve telling him that he didn't feel comfortable surfing the big waves.

So, Kawika was wondering what he was doing here now. He hoped he wasn't here on business, but not seeing the haole's car, he was pretty sure that was not the case.

The Kapu leader took his board and made his way down to the shore. And just as predicted only a handful of surfers were riding the waves and only very few were watching the spectacle from the safe, sandy beach.

He looked around for McGarrett, but couldn't see him. Which didn't mean anything really; he could have been picked up by his friend if they caught a new case.

But then Kawika shook his head at that possibility; if that were the case his board should have been on his truck, but it was not.

Kawika watched as Levi rode in a wave and when he was looking his way he motioned for him to come over. He was glad that Levi seemed to be trying to clean up his act. He knew that the Kapui still struggled a bit with staying on the right side of the law, but he was trying.

"Kawika, what's up?" Levi greeted with the appropriate hand gestures.

"How long have you been here?"

"Early."

One look from Kawika made Levi Parker repeat his answer in a more understandable fashion. "Since early, maybe around six or so."

"Have you seen McGarrett?"

"Yeah, Brah, Five-0 and I talked for a minute this morning, but he left hours ago."

"Did you see him leave?"

"Well," Levi said and shrugged his heavily tattooed shoulders. "He wasn't there anymore, guess he left when the big waves came in." He grinned and shook his head. "Dude, there were suddenly some really freaking waves, man."

"His truck is still parked, did you see him leave?" Kawika repeated his question.

"Uh…"

They both turned to the ocean and watched the waves and the pro surfers for a moment before Kawika came to a decision.

He took out his cellphone and dialed Williams' number. Now he was glad he had saved the Haole's number next to McGarrett's after they had worked on his house together.

"Williams."

"Hey, Danny."

"Kawika. What can I help you with?" He heard the officer's surprised voice.

"Is McGarrett with you?"

"No. Why?"

Kawika told Danny what he knew about the parked truck and where Steve was last seen.

"Are you saying he might still be out at sea?"

Kawika wasn't sure Williams understood the situation. "If McGarrett didn't come back to shore, chances are pretty good that he's dead," he told the detective bluntly.

"What?"

"Listen, we are going to look for his surfboard and I'm going to call the coast guard. He might have been caught in an outward current. They are really strong today."

"O...kay." The word was drawn out into two long syllables, and then Kawika heard a pause before Danny added, "I'll call the Navy. Anything else we can do?"

"Not much," Kawika told him honestly. "I'll work from this end."

If McGarrett was still out at sea, for this many hours now, his chances were not very good. He was sure they would only find his body. Probably smashed into the reef or the rock formation to the right of the sandy beach.

It only took ten minutes to have his men he phoned in to start their search for McGarrett's board or any sign of him. And it only took another ten to find his damaged surfboard wedged between the rocks; partially submerged and washed over by every wave.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**McGarrett's house**_

"Can't you track Uncle Steve's car, Danno? That's what they do on TV." Grace asked as they went back down to the living room.

"That's what I'm going to do next. But we need to go to the office for that," Danny told his daughter.

Before they could make it out of the house, Danny's phone rang. Frowning at the flashing _Kawika_ on his display he took the call and smiled at his daughter as he ushered her outside.

A short few minutes later he was glad that Grace had decided to check at the back of the house for any clues about Steve's whereabouts. What he heard from Kawika made him pale and lose the ability to form coherent words for a second.

He only came back to his senses when he heard himself saying to call the Navy. Danny ended the call and looked for his daughter who was still behind the house.

It had been a shock to hear Kawika tell him that Steve might have been swept out to sea and most likely would already be dead. _NO, he's not dead!_ Danny chided himself for thinking that for even a second. His friend did not drown. Just the thought was ridiculous. In the back of his head he remembered Steve telling him about the training accident not long ago that cost a SEAL's life. But he pushed that thought down, deep down.

"Danno!" He heard his daughter's excited call.

"Coming!"

Danny took a deep breath to calm down. He made his way to the lanai and found his daughter motioning to a couple of surf boards neatly stacked and secured under a canopy to the side of the lanai. "Danno, one is missing."

"How can you tell?"

"It was a present from Catherine; it's blue and white with waves and a seal on it. It looks really cool," grace explained.

Hearing that information it was pretty clear that Steve was probably really out at sea. After Danny told his daughter he had to go meet Kawika, he called the Navy and explained the situation. The outcome of that call actually surprised Danny a bit. He had called Catherine's CO, knowing that he and Steve knew each other fairly well. Commander Sawyer had promised to get an additional search on the way in a matter of minutes. He had talked about needing an SAR training exercise anyway.

Danny was confident that with all this help from the Coast Guard and the Navy it would only be a short time until Steve would be found.

H50 – H50 – H50

Before Danny made his way to the North Shore to meet with his Kapu friend he had dropped Grace off at her mother's. That had not been easy, as he remembered it while turning into the parking lot.

Grace had been truly mad she wasn't allowed to stay with her dad to look for her Uncle Steve. But Danny and also Rachel felt it would be best if she waited at home for any news. Both of them were thinking about what might be the reality. That Steve would not be found alive.

"Grace, I promise to call you as soon as I know something."

"Promise, Danno."

"I do," he again promised his daughter and turned to his ex-wife. "Thank you, Rachel, for changing your plans." He knew that she had planned a short get-away with her husband.

"Of course, Daniel. I hope Steve is okay," she said with obvious emotion in her voice.

"Me, too. I'll call you, okay?"

"We will be waiting by the phone," Rachel said and ushered her distraught daughter into the house.

Danny came back to the present as he saw his partner's truck still parked on the mostly deserted lot. Nothing seemed to be amiss. He took a look at the time, realizing how many hours had already passed since he received the call from Catherine this morning. _Catherine. _

He needed to call her and inform her that her boyfriend was missing. _You can't._ He remembered that she was out of cell phone reach. Well, he would at least call the hotel and of course try to reach her.

Danny carefully made his way down to the beach. That was the last thing they needed; him tumbling down the path and breaking his neck. He was grumbling about crazy surfers, risking life and limb to even reach the waters. Of course his crazy ass partner had to choose a beach that was barely reachable for any normal human being.

"Danny!"

He looked up from his trek down the rocky slope to see Kawika looking at him and shaking his head. _What the heck?_

"Why didn't you use the path?"

"What?

"The path," Kawika said and motioned to a neat path with actual steps.

"Fuck."

Kawika only laughed at him, but turned serious immediately. "We found his board."

"Shit." Up until now Danny had still hoped that it was not true that Steve was out in the ocean. He had still hoped that Steve would call him and everything would be okay. But now it was obviously a reality that Steve would not call, and most likely needed a miracle to come back to them.

"You sure it's his?" Danny knew that was a stupid question.

"Yeah," was Kawika's short answer.

Danny followed the surfer further down the beach where they were met by Levi Parker, a member of the Kapu, Danny had encountered a few times before.

"Levi, show us the board."

Danny looked at the broken board and could only agree with Grace, it was really cool. The lower half of it was in a multicolor blue with waves breaking in the middle of the board, getting over into the slightly bluish white of the upper board. And among the breaking waves was a Hawaiian Monk Seal playing in the surf.

He had never seen such great art on a surf board. It really was a cool piece of surf equipment. Which was now mangled and damaged beyond repair. At least the bottom side was; to Danny's astonishment the art on top didn't have a scratch.

"Where did you find it?" Not that it made a difference but Danny still wanted to know.

"Wedged in the rocks over there," Levi motioned to the place where the waves were breaking with a loud roaring.

"What do you think happened?" Danny asked and looked at Kawika for an answer.

"He was probably caught by surprise by a wave—"

"There were really some freaky waves coming out of nowhere this morning, if he got caught in them…" Levi interrupted which earned him a glare.

"Why didn't he come back to shore then?"

"Look, Danny," Kawika started to explain. "Look at the board. The ankle line is torn. I think he had a terrible wipe out with tons of water pushing him under. He was either caught under the reef, or he was swept out to sea. Both cases are not good."

"Caught under the reef?"

"He could have been pushed down there and might be stuck in the reef formation. It's happened before. The body was recovered three days later. These waters are dangerous in these conditions. Steve normally doesn't surf here."

"He said he only wanted to stay until the surf got too high. That's why I thought he left," Levi said again what he had told his leader before.

"Wait a minute, you realized Steve was gone and didn't do anything?" Danny couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Hey, wait a minute. I didn't see anything happen to McGarrett, I just assumed—"

"I thought you guys were a community, looking out for your surf buddies, and you assumed he left?"

"Listen, Haole, this is not my fault," the surfer argued, his finger waving close to Danny's face. "We _**do**_ look out for each other. McGarrett and I talked when he came here, and he said he only wanted to stay for a short while. Said something about not sleeping and needing to clear his head, or something like that." Levi told them about his really short talk with McGarrett. He remembered that he had looked totally different with just boardies on. And not to mention that impressive bruise on his chest. "We both went in, and when the bigger waves came, I thought he left just like he said he would. Why would I think any different?" Levi almost shouted. He would not be blamed for a cop's death. Maybe the old Levi, but not in this lifetime.

"Settle down, both of you," Kawika stopped them both from going any further. "We can only hope that he was caught in an outward current and is now swimming out there. If he was caught under the reef… there is no way to find out until the storm is over and even then it will be dangerous for a diver to go down there." Kawika sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Danny, but there is nothing else we can do here. You should head over to the Coast Guard and wait for any news."

"I need to go see Chin first," Danny told the two Kapu.

"Send him our best." Of course Kawika knew what had happened. Hell, half the island knew what Five-0 had been doing the last two days.

"Danny! If anyone can make it, it's McGarrett." Kawika tried to spread a little hope. "Don't give up on him just yet."

"Never."

Danny said his good bye and made his way back up to the parking lot, already thinking about his visit to the hospital to see Chin, and about his pending phone call to Catherine. Something he wasn't looking forward to at all.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Between Oahu and Kauai – Saturday 1100 hours**_

Steve thought that he was slowly losing his mind. He would swear that he was not alone in the ocean. _No, you moron, there are millions of fishes with you._ Steve shook his head, clearing the stupid out of it. That thought made him laugh, which then worried him even more. And underlined his opinion of losing it.

_Get a grip!_ Easier said than done. Steve was now shivering in earnest. It was no longer the occasional shiver running through his body. It was now almost a constant involuntarily muscle movement. He knew it was his body's way of generating heat. But he also knew it would not be enough to keep his body temperature up. Soon he would stop shivering, and then he would be in real trouble.

Damn, there it was again. The feather-light touch at his hip. If he weren't in the water he would say it was a gust of wind flowing over his body. _What the crap are you talking about?_ Steve rolled his eyes at his own thoughts and tried to relax and convince himself that there was nothing next to him.

Wow! Now that was _**not**_ a gust of wind. That was a big nudge in the hip. It actually hurt and almost whirled him around. Making him come fully alert despite the shivering and bad headache he again suffered from.

Steve turned in a circle trying to see anything other than water. What he discovered was not good, not good at all. In fact it was the worst that could happen. Not twenty feet from him there was a fin circling around him. And he was pretty sure it was a damn huge tiger shark. One of the most dangerous sharks he could encounter.

His luck just got better and better.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

_**Sorry for the cliffhanger. Not. ;-)**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**So, here it is, as promised Cokie's part of the story. She wrote the 2003 flashback. I'm sure you will enjoy it. **_

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 06- Sea life  
**

_**Between Oahu and Kauai – Saturday 1115 hours**_

Steve wearily looked at his companion who had been circling him for a few minutes now. Sharks typically hunt for fish, turtles, squids and seals. And unfortunately Steve fell into the latter category. Steve watched as the shark swarm around him and readied himself as best he could for the coming attack, remembering Danny's words to hit the shark on its nose. He knew that was good advice, but how do you hit a huge Tiger shark on the snout, eyes or gills without losing an arm in the process?

Steve frantically looked around to find the fin in the choppy sea, and remembered another time he had been on the look-out for dangerous sea creatures.

_**Off the coast of California – 2003**_

"_Whose idea was this again?" Freddy asked._

"_I think it was yours, you Moron," Steve shot back while continuing to swim. "Keep up," he shouted to his friend._

"_How long have we been in the water?"_

_Steve pulled up treading water for a couple of seconds, and took a breather as Freddy pulled alongside him. He checked his watch. "Fifty five minutes," he replied. "You tired? And why can't you wear your own watch?"_

"_Hell, yeah I'm tired. And if I wore my watch, what would I need you for?"_

_Steve rolled his eyes at his friend. "We've got another twenty five minutes to beat our last record, so stop your belly-aching and swim!" _

"_Who died and made you boss?" Freddy asked with a grin._

_Steve gave his friend the 'one-finger' salute and turned to begin swimming once again, but held out his arm to stop Freddy from getting closer. "Watch out!"_

_Freddy looked around them and all he saw was water. "What? What did you see?"_

"_Careful, let's go this way," Steve told his friend. "That's a man-of-war riding the waves over there and the sting is pretty powerful. We need to swing around so the tentacles don't get us."_

"_Where is he?"_

"_Don't worry about that and get a move on before the currents bring him closer," Steve urged._

_They swam around the jellyfish-looking creature and Steve checked his watch once again. "We need to make up time; let's go."_

_They began to pick up their speed when Steve yelped, then twisted around in the water. "Damn!"_

"_What's wrong?" His friend stopped and swam to his side._

_Steve bobbed for a second before spitting out water. "Guess we didn't go far enough." He held up his left arm. "He got me, I think."_

"_Oh, Jeez," Freddy said, reaching his hand toward his friend._

"_Don't touch!" Steve warned him while trying to check out the damage on his side. "He'll get you, too."_

"_You've got tentacles still attached," Freddy said. "I need to get them off."_

_Steve grimaced while keeping himself upright by kicking his legs and right arm; his left arm held above the water. "If you touch it, you'll get stung, too."_

"_Well, I don't have anything to use unless I take off my trunks."_

"_Please spare me that," Steve said, making a face at his friend. "Take one of my fins and scrape it off."_

"_How bad is it?" Freddy asked when Steve bobbed under the water once again. He grabbed Steve by his right arm and pulled him back to the surface. "Stop doing that."_

"_Not…" Steve had to take a breath. "Not trying to. My leg doesn't want to work. Take my fin."_

_Freddy made it easier on both of them and pulled off one of his own fins. "OK, most of them are gone but there are some tentacles still on your back."_

"_Just do something, Freddy, this is stinging like hell."_

_Freddy used the flipper end of the fin and began to scrape. Instinctively, Steve moved away with a muttered curse. _

"_Almost got them," his friend assured him as he grabbed Steve's arm to hold him steady. "One more, hold still."_

"_Damn it, that's enough! Stop!"_

"_Come on, it is stuck tight. I can't—"_

"_And every time you touch it, it stings me again!" Steve yelled. "Just hurry!"_

"_Got it." He let go of Steve to replace his fin and watched him leaned back to float in the water, his left leg not rising to the surface. _

_Steve tried to control his ragged breathing and bottle up the pain. But half his body felt like it was on fire and even with the cool water washing over him, the pain wasn't subsiding._

"_How're you doing, Dog?"_

"_Just give me a minute."_

"_I'll give you more than that, but you need to tell me what to do. I know we're supposed to treat man-of-war stings differently from jelly fish…"_

"_Not the same venom," Steve said through gritted teeth. "Are you sure you got rid of all those tentacles?"_

"_Pretty sure. Can you float face down and let me check?"_

_Steve took a deep breath then log rolled over in the water and floated. "What's it look like?"_

"_The welts are pretty red and criss-crossed where they hit you. They start under your arm and go __down your side to your shorts, then go around half your back above your hipbone. Then there are more from the bottom of your trunks to your knee."_

"_And I can feel every one of them," Steve admitted while rolling back over in the water. "Having trouble moving my upper leg. Hopefully that will go away soon because we need to travel." He glanced again at his watch. "The guys should be at the light house soon to pick us up."_

"_I don't think you should be swimming," Freddy said._

"_And the other choice?" Steve shot back._

"_I could try to tow you."_

"_In your dreams. Now let's go." Steve started off with the SEAL sidestroke using his arms and keeping his legs nearly immobile in the water._

"_Right behind you," Freddy called to him as he watched his friend swim away._

_Five minutes later Steve slowed and Freddy came up behind him. "You OK?" He moved around to the front of his friend when Steve didn't answer. "Hey! Answer me."_

_Steve nodded, trying to catch his breath. "Just…" He looked at his friend, not able to put his thoughts into words. "'M'OK."_

"_The hell you are." He grabbed Steve's wrist and tugged his arm out of the water to check the wounds on his side. "You're getting some swelling in these stings." He looked around and made a decision. "Instead of angling toward the light house, we're heading in to the beach. I can either find help there or run to the light house and call for help."_

_Steve shivered, his teeth chattering. "No, man, I'm good. Let's go. Just needed to catch my breath." He began to swim once again until Freddy grabbed his ankle. He jerked around, spluttering in the water. "What the hell? You trying to drown me?"_

"_No," Freddy patiently replied and pointed behind him. "But land is this way. You're headed out to sea. Come on."_

_Steve looked around and realized he had no clue which way to go, so he silently followed Freddy's direction. He swam as long as he could before having to stop once again to rest. He tried to catch his breath but found it difficult to keep his head above the water's surface. _

_Freddy reached for his arm to support him. "Is the pain any better?"_

_Steve just panted, continuing to spit out the water he was taking in. "Yeah, maybe."_

_Freddy snorted. "You're the worst liar ever, you know that?"_

"_Oh, yeah?" he argued. "I beat you at poker… all… time." Even with Freddy helping hold him up, he was having trouble staying afloat and had to spit out more water. "Shit." He shivered once again. "Man, when did it get… cold?"_

_Just holding his arm, Freddy knew his friend was heating up. And not able to swim another foot. "You've got a fever, Steve."_

"_No—"_

"_Yeah, that's why you're cold." Freddy moved behind him and tugged Steve's body back against his chest. "Not that I want to get all cozy with you, but lean your head back."_

_Steve tried to buck away from his grip. "I'm fine… let's—"_

"_Hey!" Freddy shouted, hoping to keep Steve's attention. "Just listen to me and lay back. You need to rest. Let me take point and get you back to land. You're looking kind of shocky."_

"_No, man…"_

"_Shut up." Freddy had his right arm under Steve's right arm and around his chest and pushed Steve's head back against his own shoulder. "Now shut up and let me do the work. Maybe I'll get my Boy Scout badge or something for hauling your ass outta the water."_

_Steve tried to snort, but found he didn't even have the energy for that. When Freddy began swimming a back stroke, Steve finally tried to relax and let his friend do the work. And hating every minute of it._

_Several yards later, Freddy slowed after asking Steve three times how he was doing. Not getting an answer, he paddled water, trying to get a look at his friend's face. "Hey! Steve? Come on, Dog, can you hear me?"_

_Steve shivered once again. "Don't feel so good, Fred…"_

"_Yeah, I can see that. We're almost there, so stay with me, all right?" He checked the welts, only to find them raised and beginning to fill with water, with the area around them red and swollen. Streaks of red were beginning to track upward to the nodes in his neck and from his side into his abdomen. Freddy didn't want to panic but what he was seeing was freaking him out. He looked toward land and was thankful they could see the beach although it was still probably a football field length away. But at least they had a goal. "OK, Stevie, stick with me – we're almost there."_

"_Trying." _

_He didn't know if he had even said the word out loud. His world was filled with fire and ice; flames of fire were consuming the left side of his body while he was freezing on the inside. And he couldn't see the end in sight._

"_Steve! Hey! Come on, are you with me?"_

_He opened his eyes to realize they were no longer swimming… or Freddy was no longer swimming, but was standing in the water. He felt dizzy and disoriented and the fire was still there. Freddy was standing in chest deep water, grasping onto Steve's arm that was draped around his own shoulders. _

"_Can you get your legs under you and stand up?"_

"_Huh?" A wave washed over their heads and Steve spluttered once it was gone, but became more aware of his surroundings._

"_Lieutenant! Stand up!"_

_Disobeying an order was unheard of and Steve managed to get both feet on the sandy ocean bottom before Freddy began walking them toward shore. Waves continued to wash against them until they managed to stumble to the beach._

_He was ready to drop but Freddy dragged him further up the deserted beach before allowing him to fall to the sand, lying him down on his right side, head closer to the water so that his feet were raised. _

"_Hey, Buddy." Freddy knelt next to his friend and patted his cheek. "There's no one here, but I'm __gonna head for the light house. It's already closed but the guys should be there and can go for help. I'll be back here before you know it. You listening to me, Steve? You're gonna be all right, you hear me?"_

_He nodded. Or at least he thought he did. All he wanted was for the fire to end; either by burning up and blowing away or by not being able to feel anything. He didn't care as long as it was over._

Steve continued to float, remembering back to that time long ago when Freddy had saved his life. He didn't know how long it had taken for his friends to make it back to him, but he had heard their voices screaming at him to wake up, their palms smacking his cheeks in an attempt to rouse him. By the time EMS had rushed him to Branch Medical Clinic they had given him drugs to combat the shock and had applied warm compresses to the stings. Thirty minutes later, he had woken up and was making plans to leave. The doctor had other plans and he ended up in bed, lying on his belly, wearing nothing but a sheet for the next 24 hours. Because of the blisters, he had missed out on that entire two-week rotation at Coronado and had to make it up later, without his team.

He and Freddy had learned… when Lt. Commander White had read them the riot act… that there were signs posted along the beaches warning of a nasty strain of man-of-war that had come in closer to shore. White had told them they were damn lucky they were close enough to reach shore. Steve smiled as he remembered Joe's words, "Son, your Daddy didn't raise an idiot, so I would appreciate it if you would begin using that head of yours for something other than a chick magnet." But when he was finished yelling at him, he grasped Steve's upper arm and squeezed it, leaning down close. "Would you please try not to scare me to death? If I had any hair, I'm sure it would all be gray. And, no doubt, it would be your fault."

Steve had learned something else from that experience. Something that was haunting him today. When you go into the water, be prepared. For anything, because you don't know what could happen. And sometimes, you just don't get another chance.

H50 – H50 – H50

Tiger sharks are fearless, curious and aggressive. Not because they are the horrible creatures people like to make them out to be, but because it's in their nature to hunt everything that looks eatable. And for a shark Steve was sure he looked like an easy meal.

Adding to their normal aggressiveness was the storm and the high waves. The circumstances might actually make the shark's aggressive behavior pick up a notch. So, Steve watched him closely, or as closely as he could.

Steve was getting worried that the approaching dark clouds would soon make his situation even worse. So far he had been able to keep his head mostly above the waves. Although it was a struggle.

He was tired, his legs felt like lead and his head was throbbing away. Threatening to make him sick and disoriented. As a SEAL he was trained to survive even in high seas, but he knew the longer he was out in the elements, the worse his situation would get. He was getting colder, the increased shivering was testimony to that. It was not something of great concern just yet, but soon and he would face serious hypothermia. And _**that**_ would diminish his chances of survival drastically.

_As would a shark attack_, Steve grimly thought. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance if the shark decided that he would be an easy meal.

Out here, so far away from help, Steve would die of blood loss even if the shark didn't kill him instantly.

A second after that realization hit him, the shark changed course toward Steve. He knew it was not the attack yet. Sharks often prod and fake-attack their prey before they come in for the kill.

Steve managed to turn in the last second, avoiding a head on collision with the tiger shark. What he couldn't prevent though was the close contact with the rough shark skin. That was again a very painful experience. Steve's whole side and back was on fire. As was his right calf. Everywhere he came in contact with the shark his body suffered deep abrasions.

Steve had seen such injuries and could easily imagine how his looked without actually seeing them. The salt water stung the wounds, and Steve swallowed a lot of water when he was pushed under by the massive animal.

Steve emerged spluttering and spitting out water. He tried to prepare himself for the next, the fatal attack.

He turned just in time to see the massive animal charging him.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

_**Guess Steve just got another week to live. ;-)**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N at the end of the chapter.**_

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 07 **

_**Between Oahu and Kauai – Saturday 1115 hours**_

_Steve emerged spluttering and spitting out water. He tried to prepare himself for the next, the fatal attack. _

_He turned just in time to see the massive animal charging him._

Steve knew this was it, this was the final attack. The one that would kill him.

Steve braced for impact, and when it came it took his breath away. Just before the shark hit him, the massive animal rolled over and slammed into Steve. Whirling him around, rendering him disoriented and gasping in pain when the shark again slammed into Steve's body just above his right hip. And again taking a lot of skin with it.

Steve almost didn't make it back to the surface. The pain in his hip and groin was unbearable and he had no control over his right leg. For a second he feared he had lost the limb in the attack. Steve fought hard to come back up, and just before he was sure he would pass out he broke through the water, gasping for air while frantically looking around for the shark and his next attack.

But what he saw made him pause in amazement.

He was suddenly surrounded by dozens of fins. But this time they were fins of the friendly kind. A school of bottlenose dolphins circled around him, shielding him from the shark.

Steve wondered why they had come to his rescue. He had read about dolphins helping their own in distress, and even keeping swimmers afloat on occasion, but surely not against a _**tiger shark**_.

Dolphins were on the shark's menu, and normally a dolphin would avoid a confrontation.

Steve was suddenly overwhelmed when the situation became clear to him, when he realized how close he had just come to becoming fish food. The relief, the pain radiating from his right hip and the sudden adrenalin dump were so great that his vision grayed and he went under.

He only became aware of that when he was gently nudged back to the surface by one of the dolphins.

Steve watched in awe how the friendly creatures circled around him and came even closer as if to make sure he was okay. While trying to catch his breath, Steve started floating on his back allowing the water to wash over his abused body but still looking around him to make sure the shark was not preparing another attack.

He was used to the ocean, and from childhood had been fascinated with all the animals that considered this water their home. He had a healthy respect for them and learned at an early age what was dangerous and what was not.

The shark attack had been a _**really**_ close call and Steve still couldn't quite believe that he was still alive.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Crime Lab – Thursday 2130 hours**_

Danny tried not to let his worry show. Well, at least not too much. Their resident SEAL had already thrown the one or other irritated glance his way. No need to aggravate the irate SEAL-turned-cop even more.

Danny could understand his anger, and Danny was sure most of it was directed at his own self. Steve blamed himself for the botched up money drop, Danny was sure of that much. Why he was so agitated and fidgety right now was beyond him though. Steve was for sure not his normal calm self at the moment.

There it was again. The careful tugging at his shirt he changed into at HQ on their way to the crime lab. His partner was again dressed in gray cargos and a light blue button down shirt. And something seemed to be wrong with his shirt.

Danny shook his head at his own stupidity. _Of course there is something wrong_; he chided himself for not thinking sooner about the probably spectacular bruises on his partner's chest.

"Hey, you okay?" Danny stepped into Steve's path as he again walked around the table Fong was working at.

"What?" Steve looked in confusion at the question. "I'm fine, Danny."

"Why are you constantly tugging at your shirt?"

"I'm not." Steve dropped his hand that was again about to tug at the shirt.

"Of course not," Danny answered grinning. "What's wrong?" Danny tried his luck again.

"It's too tight." Was Steve's short answer while he raised his hand again to his chest.

Danny shook his head and looked at Steve's shirt. The _**loose**_ fitting shirt. "What are you talking about? If anything that shirt is too big for you."

"I'm not talking about the shirt," Steve said and grimaced when he obviously touched a very tender spot on his breastbone.

Danny looked at his friend who was just opening two more buttons on the shirt and revealed the medical device he was wearing around his chest. Danny could see that the small belt holding the recorder was very tight and had to hurt on the bruises still forming. "What's that for?"

"It's doing a twenty four hour EKG. Doc wanted me to have it, he said I wouldn't even know it was there," Steve said and again tugged at the offending belt. "It fucking hurts," Steve grumbled.

"I can imagine," Danny said in sympathy. "Why does he want an EKG, I thought you were okay?"

"I _**am**_ okay. It's just a precaution, nothing to worry about."

Danny wasn't sure about that statement but chose not to comment on it. He knew his friend was stubborn and not one to complain about minor aches. But Danny also knew Steve was no idiot and took injuries seriously, so if he said he was fine, he probably was. In quite a bit of pain, but in the end not seriously injured.

"Detective, Commander, I have the results now. Follow me." Charlie Fong interrupted their conversation and Danny and Steve turned to their forensic specialist.

"What can you tell us?" Steve asked, his chest obviously forgotten for the moment.

"Okay, first I took a look at the recorded conversation. But nothing much came out of that. We didn't find any useful background noises. Nothing stood out there," Fong told them.

"Okay. So that doesn't get us anywhere?" Danny asked into the silence.

"No, nothing to learn from it. But," Fong turned and picked up a photo from his slightly cluttered desk. He showed the picture to the two men from Five-0.

"What are we supposed to see?" Danny asked irritated, looking at the picture of a boot print.

"There is a noticeable flaw in the sole. Look here and here," Fong pointed to two spots on the photo.

Danny and Steve took a closer look and could clearly see the strange pattern of the sole.

"So? The boot print left some strange imprints. How does that help us?" Danny still couldn't see how that would help them. And one look at his friend showed him neither could Steve.

"Ah, glad you ask that," Fong answered with a smile. He turned again to his worktable and took another photo to show them. "Look at this."

"It's the same," Steve said after studying it for a moment. "Where's it from?"

"New York."

"New York?" Danny spoke up again. "How?"

"I sent the pattern to the FBI database. I thought if these people had no qualms about killing two state agents, they might have done something similar before. Or at least will do again," Fong explained why he sought access to the FBI database right away.

"And the search brought this up?" Steve pointed to the New Yorker printout.

"Yes it did. An FBI agent was killed and the killer, or the most likely suspect," Fong corrected himself, "left this bloody boot print on the scene."

"When did that happen?" Danny wanted to know.

"Last week."

"Is the FBI willing to share their information?" Steve knew that the interagency cooperation was not always the best.

"Yes they are. I already sent it to your server."

"Thank you," Danny thanked Fong for the both of them.

"Can I have a copy of the taped phone call?" Steve asked.

"Yes, of course. I'll send it over right away."

"Thanks, Charlie," Steve thanked their CSU guy and followed his friend outside.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Five-0 Headquarters 2230 hours**_

Steve was glaring at the offending device with a death glare that had, in the past, brought even the hardest criminals to their knees, but the tiny device was totally unimpressed and shrieked away.

"What the hell?" Danny stormed into his partner's office and stopped in his tracks.

"It won't stop," Steve said loudly over the high pitched wailing sound. He held the device in his hands and shook it, turned it around, but couldn't find any buttons to turn it off.

"Why the hell did you take it off?" Danny asked as he took the 'thing' out of his friend's hands.

Steve just looked at Danny, shook his head and set gingerly down in his chair. "I really like being able to breathe, you know. That thing," Steve motioned in disgust at the still loud medical device, "didn't let me. Breathe that is."

"I think you're exaggerating… just a bit," Danny said trying not to laugh at the face his friend made at the 'thing'.

"Really?" Steve didn't think he was exaggerating at all. His chest hurt like hell where the belt had been around his ribcage. First the pain had been mild, but the longer it was on, the worse it got. Until it reached the point Steve simply couldn't take it anymore. "Besides, I don't think it is supposed to hurt."

"So, you decided to simply take it off?" Danny was still trying to get the thing to shut up. To no avail.

"What are you guys doing?" Nancy Rollins asked as she stepped into the office. "Give me that," she mumbled and took the 'thing' out of Danny's hand.

It immediately stopped making any noise.

"How did you do that?" Steve asked in astonishment. He had tried to quieten it for a couple of minutes.

"Magic touch." Nancy grinned at him. "Steve, why did you take it off? You're supposed to have it for 24 hours."

Steve repeated the answer he just gave his friend.

"Let me see."

"What?"

"Your chest. Let me see," Nancy said and stepped closer, expecting Steve to lift his shirt.

"No. It's fine now that the torture device is off. I'm good," Steve told her, but his words were belied by the pained expression he couldn't quite school not to show.

"Sure you are. Just humor me, okay?"

Steve looked at Danny and glared again when he saw him grinning. Of course Danny was as unimpressed as the device had been earlier. Still grumbling, Steve unbuttoned his shirt and exposed his chest. His badly bruised chest with a dark red welt going all around it.

"Ah, Steve. That looks painful. Who the heck put the belt on so tight?" Nancy asked while she lifted the shirt a bit more out of the way so she could inspect the side and back. "Do you have any trouble breathing?"

"Not anymore," Steve said and hissed when Nancy touched a very tender spot where one of the bullets impacted. "The belt made me feel constricted, but now that it is off, I'm good."

"Okay, we'll keep it off for a while, but before I leave I will attach it again," Nancy told Steve and it was clear that it was not open for debate.

" 'kay," Steve said over Danny's snickering.

"Danny, you have anything to say?"

"No, ma'am," Danny was quick to answer.

"Good then. Now," Nancy paused and looked at the two friends. "I came here to bring good news. Chin woke up."

"Is he okay?" Steve was eager to know.

"Yes. He's very weak and went back to sleep after just a couple of minutes, but he was lucid and was able to answer simple questions."

"That's good. I mean he will be okay, right?" Danny wanted to know.

"I think so, yes. Of course we need to wait, there can always be complications. But nothing indicates any brain damage. I think he will make a full recovery."

"Thank you, Nancy. Without you he'd be dead. Thank you for saving Chin's life," Steve told her and was sure Danny felt the same way. Unbelievable relief knowing their friend would be okay.

"I'm glad I could help."

"Are you leaving in the morning?" Steve asked as he stood up from the chair, buttoning up his shirt.

"No, we changed it to an evening flight. My better half is meeting one of his friends on the base in the morning. But that way Catherine and I can have a little more mother and daughter time before we leave. I know you can't leave right now, but when the case is closed—"

"I will fly over as soon as I can. Promise." Steve had every intention to keep his word, and would fly to the Big Island if he could. "Speaking of the case… Danny is the server finally up and running?"

"That's why I came in, the file is up."

"Great. Let's have a look," Steve said and moved out of the office, following his friend to the smart table. "Nancy, is Kono still at the hospital?"

"Yeah, she said to call if you needed her."

"That's okay, not much she can do at the moment. She should stay with Chin for now."

"It's not really my job, but you two look beat. How about I make you some coffee and organize sandwiches or something else you might like to eat." Nancy had to smile at their surprised looks. "I bet you haven't eaten anything in a while?"

"We were kind of busy. Thank you, Nancy, but I'm not really hungry." Just thinking about food made Steve slightly queasy. "Danny, what about you?"

"I could eat something. But really, Mrs. Rollins, we can call—"

"Nonsense. Besides, my daughter told me to take care of the both of you."

"Is Cath at the airport?" Steve just now remembered that Catherine's dad had to take a later flight than his wife who had been here for two days now.

"Yeah, she's picking up her father and when I'm done here we will stay at the Hilton for the night."

Steve still wondered why they didn't fly into Hilo International in the first place, but was not going to ask his girlfriend's mother about their strange travel plans.

Ten minutes later Danny and Steve were both holding steaming hot coffee cups in their hands and Nancy also brought a variety of sandwiches, which were practically devoured by Danny, but ignored by Steve. They had thanked Nancy and sent her on the way to meet with her husband and Catherine ; Steve watched her leaving with a smile on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" Danny wanted to know about the rather odd behavior of his friend.

"Nothing." Steve answered still grinning.

"Oh—kay. So, what do you want to do first? The audio tape or the FBI file?" Danny asked Steve.

"Let's listen to the phone call first. Danny, I don't know what it is, but something is not right about all this."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. This whole money drop was such a botched up operation. I mean they didn't even take the money. Why the hell did they leave it?"

"Because Chin arrived on the scene and they didn't have time to grab the packs."

"No, Danny. I was on the ground, already pretty much out of it. Chin was shot off his bike, and you guys were still at least ten seconds out. They had plenty of time to grab the money. Why didn't they?"

"Maybe they panicked?"

"Panicked? Danny, they shot me in cold blood without hesitation. That man was ice cold, he wouldn't panic." Steve still remembered the second when it had become clear to him that he was about to get shot. "Danny, I don't think this was even about the money."

"You think it was a hit? That is ridiculous, Steven. They could have gone about that a lot easier. Why so elaborate? Why the phone call, the bombs, all that stuff? Just to kill you?"

"I don't know, Danny. Seems rather unlikely, I know. But I'm sure this is not about the money. And why didn't they call again after the money drop?"

"I don't know!" Danny was just as frustrated about the whole thing as Steve. "Let's just listen to the tape."

"Fine."

And they did just that. As Charlie had already told them it didn't give them much.

"So?" Danny looked expectedly at his friend.

"I'm pretty sure that was not the guy who shot me," Steve told Danny after a moment. "His voice was lower, and somehow different."

"So, you think the guy who called stayed in the background?"

"Yeah, but I also think he's not the one behind all this. He is just doing a job. Just like the guys at the quarry. Let's take a look at the FBI file."

It took a moment for all the single pages and pictures to open, but when they did, Steve and Danny were shocked at what they saw.

"Damn it." Steve voiced what they were both thinking.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

**Hello to Sam's wonderful readers. I want to thank you all for the kind reviews you posted for my portion of the last chapter. It was sort of funny how it happened… well, it wasn't very much fun for Steve… but Sam and I were chatting about a flashback and all of a sudden, she said, "You can write that part…" so, I gave it a try and I'm glad you liked it! I heard rumors after that chapter that Steve was given a reprieve and allowed another week to live, so let's see where she takes us this time. I solemnly swear that if she drowns him, I will resuscitate!**

**-Cokie**

**My dear readers, just so you know what I have to put up with. When I hinted at one of my wonderful betas (no, that is not sarcasm) that I'm writing a drowning scene look what I got as an answer: "We interrupt this story with an update on Sam. Apparently she is suffering from heat stroke and has temporarily gone cuckoo. While this condition persists Steve will continue to swim, aided by his new best friend, Cokie, the dolphin.**

**Please wish Sam the best. If her symptoms persist, a ghost writer will be chosen to save Steve."**

**Well, so far her strategy worked, Steve is still swimming. **

**Thanks for reading and sticking with us.**

**Sam**


	8. Chapter 8

**Open Water – Chapter 08**

_**Between Oahu and Kauai – 1300 hours**_

"NO, don't go!" Steve shouted, realizing that was a silly thing to say.

He had deemed himself safe while the dolphins swam with him, and now that they were leaving he felt alone and his situation became grave again. He watched them jump out of the water one last time and then they were out of sight.

Steve made a 360 turn to see if the Tiger Shark would make an appearance once again, now that he was an easy target. He was pretty sure that the shark had left after he had been attacked by the dolphins, but Steve was worried that he might come back. He knew that he wouldn't have the slightest chance against the huge shark. He would be fish food for sure.

Steve could barely swim anymore; he was shivering so violently at the moment that he had trouble coordinating his arms and legs. _**Legs.**_ Steve wasn't even sure if he still had legs. He couldn't feel them; they were so damn cold. Of course the cold had one good point, he wasn't screaming in agony. He knew that he had deep abrasions on his legs, especially on his right one. Without the cold the salt water on the wounds would send him into a world of hurt.

Speaking of hurt. His right hip, groin and upper thigh were still throbbing and he wondered if he had seriously injured his hip in some way when the shark had slammed into him. There was a dull constant throbbing from his hip down to his thigh. And a sharp intense pain to the side of his groin area when he tried to move his leg sideways. So, he tried to avoid that as best he could. Which was a problem if he wanted to swim.

But swimming was out of the question right now anyway. Steve was more like dog paddling, trying desperately to keep his head above the water. And he wasn't always successful with it. He felt like he was more under water than above the waves. Steve knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer.

He was disoriented and sick. The saltwater he had swallowed was not just messing with his stomach, but also with his electrolyte balance. He hadn't had anything to drink in over seven hours. That combined with all the salt he had swallowed was also a big problem for his kidneys. The cold already caused a high frequency of urination, but without any input of liquids his kidneys would soon be in trouble.

Steve knew that his problems would only get worse with every passing minute. His biggest problem right now was the cold. It had started raining what felt like hours ago, and it was not a warm drizzle but instead a really cold rain. So, even his head was constantly being doused with cold water. The body loses the most heat through the head, so, the rain was a big problem.

Steve suddenly realized that he had stopped shivering. That was the first time that he actually panicked. His body had stopped its attempt to produce heat.

That was bad, really, really bad.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Steve McGarrett's House – Friday 0030 hours**_

Steve McGarrett couldn't suppress a yawn as he unlocked the door to his house. He was tired and the headache from earlier was back. It was aided by the day's events and the meeting with the Governor that ended just half an hour ago. Steve was actually looking forward to getting a few hours of sleep. Tonight they wouldn't be able to accomplish anything anyway, so no harm in sending everyone home to get a bit of rest.

He and Danny had swung by the hospital, but couldn't talk to Chin. He had been sleeping and they thought it best not to wake him. Steve had been able to convince Kono to head home and get some real rest. Sleeping in an uncomfortable hospital chair did not count as resting in Steve's book. And since Chin was out of the woods, he insisted on her going home.

They needed to start the day early and hopefully with clear minds and a few hours of sleep would do them all good.

Steve pushed open the door and sighed when he found the living room dark and empty. Of course, it was what he had expected… his girlfriend was probably still at the Hilton… but deep down he had hoped she would spend the night with him.

He made his way into the kitchen, got juice out of the fridge and poured himself a glass. Next he took the Tylenol bottle from the top of the cabinet, swallowed two and washed it down with the juice. After he put the glass into the sink he turned off the light and a minute later was in his bedroom only to almost shriek in surprise when he turned on the lights. Of course a SEAL doesn't squeal like a girl, and for sure can't be surprised, so, the only thing that came out of his mouth was a mumbled curse as he stumbled back against the door.

"Took you long enough to get up here, Sailor." Cath said from the bed, barely able to contain her laughter.

"Jeez, Catherine. You wanna give me a heart attack?" Steve was glad he wasn't wearing the EKG. He was sure that thing would have gone off the charts. He could feel his heart racing, and wondered when Nancy would realize that she never put the device back onto him.

"Uh, I'm sorry, did I scare the big bad SEAL?" Cath asked as she moved from the bed.

"Very funny," Steve grumbled, but one could hear the smile in his voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd stay with your parents."

"At the Hilton? Tonight? No. Why would I?"

"Uh, I thought… well…"

Cath wasn't really interested in hearing why her boyfriend thought she would stay with her parents at the hotel, so she stepped even closer and was finally able to get the kiss she had been waiting for all day. But stepped back laughing when Steve again couldn't keep the yawn in.

"Sorry," Steve mumbled and tried to pull her back in for another kiss, but was halted by Catherine with her hand on his chest. He hissed at the contact when she touched the most tender spot right in the middle of his chest.

"Does it hurt?" Cath asked while she gently rubbed the obviously painful spot.

"Not much," was Steve's answer as he took his shirt off to grant her better access to his injuries.

Cath only shook her head at the lie and softly kissed the angry looking bruises. "Come on, let's go to bed. I'm sure you can use some sleep." Cath tugged on his arm to get him to move.

"Bed sounds good," as much as Steve hated to admit it, but he was sure he wouldn't be of much use for anything other than sleep. Maybe some cuddling, that he could master for sure, but anything else had to wait until morning.

Two minutes later his still aching head hit the pillow and even his plans of snuggling up to his girlfriend went out the window. He was asleep in seconds.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**En route to Tripler Medical Center – Friday 0630 hours**_

Steve looked at his friend who he had picked up on the way to see their injured teammate. Danny was obviously not a morning person. "Did you sleep well?" Steve asked, and tried to keep the grin off his face. Not very successfully.

"You kidding me? Five hours of sleep, Steven. Five hours. Do you really have to ask if I slept well?"

"Ah, come on, Danny, five hours is not so bad." Steve remembered a lot of nights they had all slept a lot less. Five-0 didn't exactly operate on normal business hours. But it was important to get at least a few hours of sleep every night, even while in the middle of a case. No one can work efficiently if they don't get at least a minimum of sleep. Of course, that was not always possible.

"Says the SEAL who gets by with little to no sleep, and gets up before the crack of dawn. Willingly." Danny grumbled.

"Actually, I really like to sleep. If I have the time, I even sleep in. On occasion," Steve added. Sure he liked to get up early and take a swim, but also had no problem sleeping in with his girlfriend, or even staying in bed and skipping his morning routine altogether. _It was rare, but not unheard of_, Steve thought to himself.

"Uh huh," Danny grumbled and changed the subject. "How're you doing this morning?"

"Good. Headache's a lot better."

"Any nausea, dizziness—"

"What? You're a doctor now, Danny?" Steve asked a little irritated as he turned into the parking lot at Tripler.

"Hey, I'm just concerned for my partner, who, in case you didn't know, suffered a concussion yesterday…"

"I do NOT have a concussion. I'm fine." As far as Steve was concerned there was nothing more to discuss and he hoped Danny got the message.

"Fine."

"Good, let's just meet with Chin and Kono and fill them in on what's going on." Steve told his friend and together they made their way into the hospital to meet with the rest of their team.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Office Building on Kapiolani Blvd. - Friday 0700 hours**_

"No, Sir, it did not go as planned."

"_I paid you a lot of money, and I expect you to do the job."_

"Yes, Sir, I know that. Trust me, before the end of the week McGarrett and Williams will be dead." Skip Redding looked at his three companions and rolled his eyes at the man on the phone.

"_You better make good on that promise."_

"You can trust me, Mr. Cannon. Your money is very well invested. I never fail my clients."

"_Good. When will I hear from you?"_

"On Sunday, Sir."

The line went dead without another word exchanged. Skip turned to his partner, "I think Cannon is getting nervous. We should keep an eye on him. Call Tommy and make sure he keeps in line."

"Okay," was the short answer and the short, stocky man went to another room in the rented office space to call one of his associates in New York.

"Jim, how are we on the plans for Sunday?"

"Almost done. We have everything in place. I'm just waiting for one more confirmation. We are ready when they come back from their trip to the Big Island," the red haired man explained. "What about the little girl?"

"We're not getting paid to kill her, so she will not be harmed."

"Good." Jim was glad to hear that. He had no problem killing for money, but every death of a child tore at his heart. He had seen enough children getting killed during his military career; he didn't need to add to the count.

"Ron, where are they now?" Redding asked the youngest member of their team.

"At Tripler."

"Did you find out how Kelly's doing?"

"It seems he will pull through," Ron told what he had found out during the early morning hours.

"Doesn't matter. He will probably stay in the hospital for a while?"

"He will not be released before sometime next week."

"Good, so he won't be in the way. Are we ready for the next game step?"

"Absolutely, we're ready to roll as soon as you say the word."

"Alright. Let's move it up to noon. Make sure we get them together today. I won't accept a failure like at the quarry. Our client wants them both to suffer before we kill them. Today will be just another hit, but nothing too serious."

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Friday 0700 hours**_

"Chin, how do you feel?" Steve asked his friend who had awoken a couple of minutes ago. He was still weak, but the doctor had assured them that Chin was going to be okay.

"Felt better, but okay."

"That's good. Chin, thank you. You saved my life."

"Steve, I don't really remember what happened, I'm just glad you're okay. Kono said they didn't even take the money?"

"No. Are you up to this? We can come back later—"

"I'm up to this; tell me," Chin interrupted and sounded a little stronger.

"Okay," Steve said and sat down in the chair next to Chin's bed. Kono was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Danny stood at the foot of it. "Last night we had a late meeting with the Governor…"

_**Governor Denning's office – Thursday 2300 hours**_

_"Gentlemen, please have a seat," Governor Denning said and motioned for the two Five-0 to sit in front of his desk. "How is Lieutenant Kelly?"_

_"His doctors are optimistic that he'll make a full recovery, but are still a little cautious about long term effects from the blood loss," Steve informed Denning. "He is in and out of consciousness, they haven't been able to do a proper neuro test yet. Officer Kalakaua is with him."_

_"Good. How about you, Commander? You were shot point blank?"_

_"Ehm, yes, Sir, but I'm fine. The vest did its job," Steve told the Governor and ignored Danny's look._

_Denning looked at Steve as if he wanted to question that statement, but chose to keep quiet about it. "You said on the phone you had news about the suspects?"_

_"Yes, Sir," Danny answered. "We received information from the FBI. Sir, two years ago an agent on an undercover mission came to Hawaii to see his wife and son. Reggie Williams."_

_"Wasn't there a shooting and an FBI agent got killed and another arrested for it?"_

_"Yes, Sir," Steve said. "Williams was investigating Jimmy Cannon, a big fish from New York. His son Richard was behind the killings here in Hawaii and a few things back in New York. He was arrested and put behind bars in New York."_

_"Okay, but what does that have to do with the bombing?" _

_"Sir, Richard Cannon was killed two weeks ago in a prison riot. Authorities think it was a cover up for his killing. One week ago Reggie Williams was shot to death. The FBI thinks it was a hit ordered by Jimmy Cannon, Richard's father."_

_"He is not in prison?"_

_"No, Sir. There was still not enough evidence to link him to any of the dealings." Danny elaborated. "A boot print was found at the scene of the murder; the same boot print was discovered at the quarry."_

_"You think this has something to do with the Cannon's?"_

_"Yes, Sir. We think Jimmy Cannon is out for revenge. We are not sure yet how the bombing fit into the scheme, or the blackmailing, but we think Cannon senior hired a group of professionals to kill everyone involved in his son's death." Steve was sure they were on the right track even though he couldn't explain the whole case yet._

_"So, he's coming after you next?"_

_"We, think so, yes."_

_"Commander, I want you to take precautions. Put a detail on all of you—"_

_"Sir. We've placed a detail on Chin at the hospital, even though it is highly unlikely that they will try anything in a military hospital. We've also put a detail on the Edwards. But we will not run around with a swarm of officers following us." _

_"I agree with Steve, we can't let them know that we know what is going on, Sir. If we were suddenly under protection, they would know, and who knows what they would do then. We need to play their game for now."_

_"Danny is right. We don't know what their plan is. Our first priority must be the safety of innocent people. I'm sure they will call in the morning for another money drop. And this time they will not get away."_

_Governor Denning thought a moment before he commented on their findings, "Okay, good, Gentlemen. But I want you to be careful. Don't take any unnecessary risks."_

_"Understood, Sir."_

_"Good. Keep me posted."_

_It was clear that their time was up until they had anything new to report._

"Reggie is dead? What about his son?" Chin asked after Danny and Steve finished the recounting of their meeting with Denning from last night.

"After first losing his mother, he now also lost his father in a violent way. The file said he's staying at his father's sister. With her husband and two kids," Steve said and felt sorry for the poor kid.

"Boss, you think they will come after us now?" Kono looked at Steve for an answer.

"Yeah. The FBI New York is already working on the new information from their angle. They took in Cannon for questioning this morning. We hope to hear from them soon." They had talked to the FBI field office in New York last night, and they had promised to talk to Cannon right away. Since New York was six hours ahead of Hawaii they should have talked to him by now.

The ringing of Steve's phone interrupted their conversation. "McGarrett." Steve listened for a minute before he ended the call.

"The Governor got another call. Let's go."

They said their good-byes to Chin and were again on their way to meet with Denning.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Between Oahu and Kauai – 1330 hours**_

Steve tried to calm down, but his stomach was rebelling and he had been dry heaving for what felt like the last hour. It was probably just for the last couple of minutes, but Steve felt completely drained. He was coughing and retching at the same time. He went under and swallowed water which again made him gag. If he didn't swallow water he snorted it in through his nose, which was even worse.

The inhaled spray made him cough in earnest now, and Steve became aware that he was in danger of drowning if he didn't manage to get his jerky movements under control, if he wasn't able to stay afloat for more than a few seconds.

The biggest problem was he couldn't tread water. Every time he moved his right leg, such fierce pain went like an electric shock through his leg, groin and backside that he cried out. And that again made him go under. He needed both arms to stay above the high waves. His shoulders hurt, his arms felt like they were filled with lead. He knew if he wasn't injured he would be able to swim for many more hours. But the leg injury, whatever it was, and the concussion made it almost impossible to swim. His head hurt so bad from the bouts of coughing and retching that he only saw blurry images and his vision wavered in and out. Not that there was much to see, except water all around him.

Steve didn't feel cold anymore, and in the back of his head he knew that was very bad. But right now he was just happy that he wasn't shivering anymore. But unbeknownst to him he had reached a stage that by now clouded his judgment. He wasn't sure anymore what to do. Even coordinating his arms was difficult. Confusion had already set it; Steve couldn't even remember how he ended up in this situation. Or what day it was, and how long he had been swimming for.

Suddenly Steve stopped moving altogether. _Maybe it's best to just stop for a minute?_ It only took a second for him to sink under the surface, but feeling the water closing over his head made him jerk alert again, and Steve fought his way back up. Gasping in air when he broke through the water. To get back up he had to use his leg again, and was now screaming in agony.

Steve instantly curled in on himself, but that only resulted in him again going under. Suddenly his mind was crystal clear and he realized he was in the middle of losing the battle against his injuries and the ocean. He was only minutes away from drowning. Right now he was still fighting with all he had, but Steve knew he would only last a few more minutes before his body would simply give out.

Before he would sink under the surface and not find his way back.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

**_Doesn't look good for Steve, does it? Yeah, you can put in an evil grin here. Do you enjoy the cliffhangers? LOL_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Open Water – Chapter 09**

_**US Coast Guard – 400 Sand Island Pkwy. – Saturday 1330 hours**_

Danny was pacing, trying to burn nervous energy. So far it was not working. "Why the hell can't you guys find him?" He asked, not for the first time. "You've been looking for him for hours now."

"Detective, it's not that simple. You can't just fly out there and pick him up. We're talking about the ocean here. With high waves, unpredictable currents, and many other complicating factors," Lieutenant Myers tried to explain. Also not for the first time.

"Aren't there charts with the currents?" Danny remembered Steve explaining the different currents around Hawaii to Gracie for one of her school projects. Steve had used a hydro… something chart to show her. Steve would probably smile at him for not remembering what it was called, and Danny would gladly be laughed at right about now. Because that would mean his friend would be right next to him, safe and sound.

"Yes, there are. But the storm is one of those complicating factors. It makes it hard to predict Commander McGarrett's position."

"I understand that. But Steve has been out there for about eight hours now. Who knows how seriously injured he is… you just have to find him," Danny said and tried not to choke thinking about his friend alone and lost at sea.

"We're doing all we can, Detective. Please believe me, we're doing all we can. If he's still out there, we _**will**_ find him," Myers assured him.

"What do you mean, _**if**_?"

"The ocean out there is treacherous. Who knows what might have happened since he's been in the water. He could be seriously hurt and unable to swim for that length of time. And there is always the danger of hypothermia; something that is wildly underestimated in these warm waters." Myers looked at the distressed detective and pondered if he should tell him the statistics of survival for that many hours in high seas and injured. In the end he was sure that Williams didn't need to hear it from him.

Myers was sure that the detective was aware of the other, the most likely scenario… that McGarrett had already drowned. And that they would only recover a body… if they were lucky. Most people who drowned in open water were never recovered.

Before Danny could give Myers a piece of his mind about what he was sure the Coast Guard lieutenant was thinking, his phone announced an incoming call from an unknown number.

"Williams."

_"Danny, I just came back to the hotel. They told me you had called." _

This was not a conversation he wanted to have right now. Earlier he had called the resort on the Big Island, but as he had suspected Cath had not been reachable. "Why are you at the hotel?"

_"That's a long story, but the short version is that my dad sprained his ankle pretty badly. It might even be broken. So, we came back," Cath said over the line. "Are you guys on your way?"_

"No. Catherine, listen. Something happened. We think Steve is… he, ah, he went surfing this morning, and his board was found, but no sign of him."

_"What?"_

"We think he was swept out to see. The Coast Guard and the Navy are looking for him. Catherine, they will find him."

_"I'll be on the next flight out. Where are you?"_

"At the Coast Guard station."

_"Danny, I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"Okay, good."

Danny ended the call and turned back to Myers, "That was his girlfriend. You better find him," he told the Coast Guard man, thinking about the distress he heard in Catherine's voice.

Myers only nodded, but knew that they could really do nothing but wait for any of the search parties, either in the air or in the water, to find McGarrett.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Five-0 Headquarter – Friday 1130 hours**_

"Listen up, guys," Steve gathered his two team mates around the smart table. "We know that this is a trap. Question is: do _**they**_ know that _**we**_ know?" He looked at Danny and Kono and when they both nodded he continued. "SWAT is in position. But remember these guys are professionals, they will not hesitate to use civilians for target practice."

"We shouldn't have agreed to this, Steven."

"And the alternative would be, Danny?"

"I don't know, but willingly running into a trap is not a good idea," Danny voiced his objections.

"No, it's not. They exposed themselves on purpose. They wanted us to find this," Steve said as he motioned to the file on the screen.

The FBI New York had found a connection between a rented warehouse here in Honolulu and Jimmy Cannon, but Five-0 was sure it was a trap. They were obviously sent on a wild goose chase.

"Then why play their cards?" Kono asked.

"Do any of you have a better idea? I'm always open for suggestions."

"No," Danny grudgingly had to admit that he didn't have a better plan. "But for the record, I don't like this."

"Neither do I, Danny." Steve looked over at Kono and knew that his next words wouldn't go down so well. "Kono, I want you out back with the SWAT leader."

"What? Boss, no, I… why?" It was clear that she wasn't happy, but she of course knew that it was not her decision to make.

"Jack said 'Danny and me' in the warehouse. No word about you, Kono. I want you to watch SWAT and make sure they don't storm in at an inappropriate time." Steve was well aware that she was pissed about this assignment, but also knew that she would do as told. And he knew that he could trust her to have their backs.

"Okay."

"Good. Any other questions?"

The three Five-0 were about to head out when they received a call from Max over their Skype-line.

"Commander, I just received the final report of the autopsy from a colleague in New York. I'm surprised they ID-ed a suspect. Didn't you tell me there weren't any leads? That's why I'm calling. The ME found a print on the body, and the FBI is sure it's from the killer."

"A print on the body?"

"Yes. It's a complicated procedure to extract any prints from—"

"Max, we have no information about that. Who is it?"

"I'm sorry, Commander. The print belongs to Marcus Philips."

"Does he have a record?" Danny asked.

"Oh, yes. A quite impressive one actually. It was attached to the ME's report. I sent it over and you should already have access to it."

"Thanks, Max."

"Oh, no, Commander, that's not all," Max was quick to interrupt Steve.

"It's not?"

"No. Marcus Philips came to Hawaii three days ago. Under the name of Skip Redding. And Redding rented office space on Kapiolani Blvd. – it's all in the file," Max said not without pride to know so much about their possible suspect.

"Max, you were a great help. Thank you," Steve said to their ME and they all could see that Max was practically beaming with happiness.

Of course that information changed the game plan dramatically. "Kono, you're going to the warehouse. But do not engage if not necessary."

"What are you going to do?"

"Danny and I will check out the office."

"Just the two of you?" Kono asked.

"Yeah. That way we might be able to surprise them. If they are even there," Steve added as an afterthought. "But we will have HPD waiting nearby. Danny, can you call Lukela?"

"Sure."

A couple of minutes later Danny and Steve were on their way to the offices rented by Skip Redding, and Kono was on her way to meet the SWAT team ready to take down the group of blackmailers at a warehouse at Kapalama Basin.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Between Oahu and Kauai – Saturday 1400 hours**_

Suddenly Steve's flailing left arm hit something solid. The force behind it almost broke his wrist, but he didn't care about the pain, he grabbed on to whatever he just came across. It took a moment to realize that he had encountered a piece of a boat or yacht. Maybe the remains of a life boat or raft.

Whatever it was, or where it came from, it might just be what would save Steve's life. He managed to drag his upper body onto the surface without sinking it. His legs still hung in the water, but Steve had neither the energy to get completely on it, nor was he sure that the plank would hold and take his weight.

Steve couldn't lie his head down, he lay too deep in the water for that, but just not needing to tread water was enough to make him almost cry in relief. He was utterly exhausted and knew that he would not be able to swim for even one more minute.

His head was killing him, and his vision had been blurry for the last hour. His right leg felt like it was on fire despite the cold that had taken over the rest of his body. He had never felt pain like that before. Every little movement sent incredible jolts of agony into his groin, down his leg and into his back. It took his breath away.

With his upper body now almost completely out of the water he could also feel the sunburn on his neck and shoulders when the pounding rain hit the sensitive skin. He was sure his face was also a bright red from the exposure to the sun's rays for so many hours. The sun screen he had used lost its protection long ago. And now even his back was exposed to the rays that penetrated the dark clouds. It was such irony that he got his worst sunburn on one of the cloudiest days.

Too bad that no warming rays got through the thick clouds, only the dangerous ones found their way to Steve's already sun burned body.

Steve adjusted his hold on the piece of wood and crossed his arms to create a cushion to lay his head on without dipping into the water. His bodyweight pushed the plank slightly under, so that his upper body was not completely out of the wet element. His vision was graying at the edges more and more with every passing second. For a moment he worried that he would slip off the plank, but he simply didn't have the energy to do anything against the impending darkness.

The last thing Steve felt before his body finally gave out was water washing over his arms and face.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Rescue 103, please repeat." The voice coming over the headphones could barely be heard over the noise from the rotor and the wind and rain beating against the helicopter.

"We think we saw something in the water. It's hard to see due to the heavy rain and high waves. We're going further down."

The pilot, Lieutenant Thomas Drake, thought it was kind of ironic that he and his crew again were searching for the lieutenant commander. Of course, the last time they had been lucky and found Williams and McGarrett in the middle of the night out at sea.* This time however they had been looking for McGarrett for hours now without any sign of him.

"Billy! Anything?" Drake called to his co-pilot who searched the waves for any sign of the missing man.

"No, let's fly another round. I was sure I saw something a minute ago." Billy Reagan told his partner.

Normally the two men in the back of the helicopter, one diver and the guy manning the winch, would also be on the lookout. But the weather conditions didn't allow flying with the big sliding door kept open. So it was up to the two pilots to be on the lookout. Of course, the two men at the back also looked out their windows, but they could see even less than up front in the cockpit.

"Base, come in," Drake called their command center.

_"Rescue 103, we hear you loud and clear."_

"Base, we will make one more sweep over grid 2604, and then heading back for re-fueling."

_"Roger Rescue 103, one more sweep, and re-fueling."_

"We'll call in when we leave."

_"Roger that."_

The communication went silent again and both men concentrated on the waves below. A minute later Billy suddenly called out. "There it is."

The helicopter hovered over a large piece of debris. It looked like it belonged to a boat or yacht. It was idly bobbing in the waves. Unfortunately it was not what they were looking for.

"Okay, we need to head back," Thomas looked at his friend, and could see that he felt as bad about it as he did. It was never easy to abort a search. But they had no choice if they didn't want to end up in the drink themselves.

"Alright, I'll call it in."

"Base, this is Rescue 103. It was only debris we saw. We're heading back."

_"Roger, Rescue 103. Grid 2604 unsuccessful."_

"Billy!" Drake suddenly called out.

"Ah shit. Base, we found him."

Hectic, but controlled activity started after the sighting. The helicopter hovered over the body that floated face down about 30 feet from the debris. The diver was in the water in seconds and it only took him a moment to reach the man.

They didn't waste any time with a rescue basket but hooked him into the harness and a few moments later the lifeless body of Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett was on board the SAR helicopter.

H50 – H50 – H50

**So, you all wanted Steve out of the water. Are you happy now? ;-)**

_*****In 'Recovery' Steve and Danny were fished out of the water by the 'Rescue 103' crew. Were they too late this time?_


	10. Chapter 10

_**I'm really sorry I couldn't respond to all of you by pm. If you didn't get a 'thank-you-note' please believe me it was not intentionally. I thank all of you who have reviewed or put this story on alert. Thank you very much. **_

_**I have a request though. Please log in when you leave a review, or at least leave a name. This chapter got a ton of reviews from a guest, and I have the slight suspicion one person wrote a few of them. Even though I'm very happy about every single person reviewing, or simply reading for that matter, please don't abuse the fact that you can leave an anonymous review.** _

_**A special thank you to Cokie and Sherry for a superb job on this one. Thanks guys.**_

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 10 **

**Nine minutes between life and death**

_**U.S. Coast Guard Rescue 103 – Saturday 1405 hours**_

"Base this is Rescue 103, we have McGarrett on board."

"Rescue 103, understood."

"Advise Tripler our ETA will be nine minutes. We will give a status as soon as possible."

"Roger that, Rescue 103."

While Lieutenant Drake ended the conversation and looked at his partner; they both knew it didn't look good for the rescued man.

Within seconds the two crew members in the back of the helicopter had their patient out of the soaking wet board shorts and positioned Steve's naked body on the stretcher that was secured to the floor.

While one of them dried Steve off as best he could, the other inserted a thin tube into the still man's esophagus to take his core temperature. Seconds later they looked at the alarming numbers.

"Tim, start him on warmed oxygen," the 'winch-man' Petty Officer first class George Fusserelly told his diver as he finished wrapping Steve in warm blankets. He stopped for a moment and watched his partner intubate their unresponsive patient.

"Good boy," Petty Officer second class Timothy Gale mumbled after he checked the correct placement of the tube and the breathing sounds. "Very good sounds from both lungs. Guess his training kept him from inhaling too much water."

They both knew that was a huge factor in drowning victims. If they could prevent their bodies from inhaling water their chances of survival increased immensely. Unfortunately for most, it's an involuntary reaction from the body and they gulp in water into their lungs. Only highly trained divers or swimmers manage to avoid it.

"Starting CPR?"

"Not yet," Fuzzy, as all his friends called him, answered.

They first had to establish that the lieutenant commander was indeed without a pulse. It could be deadly for a hypothermic person to receive CPR when the heartbeat was just lowered to an almost undetectable rate due to the coldness of the body.

The two trained medics attached the EKG sticky pads on the chest and waited for a bleep. It took a few seconds, but then they heard what they were hoping for, a very slow but strong heartbeat.

"Yes! That's it. Inform Tripler," Fuzzy told his partner.

To increase the body temperature he got an IV started with warmed saline from their thermo box. Thankfully every rescue chopper was stocked with everything needed for victims of hypothermia.

"Do you want to irrigate as well?" Tim asked after he had relayed the information to the waiting doctors at TAMC.

"No, they can start that in the ER if they find it necessary."

PO Fusserelly wouldn't want to insert a Foley catheter to fill the bladder with warm fluids to warm the body from the inside. Not on a bumpy flight like they were having due to the storm. It had been challenging enough to insert the IV.

Any other invasive measure he would leave for when the patient was back on solid ground.

It was also a possibility that the doctors at Tripler wouldn't even go that far, as McGarrett was only on the border of severe hypothermia.

The medics' job on the flight back was to stabilize their patient and make sure he would make it to the ER as fast as possible in one piece and to prevent any further damage.

And they still had five minutes to go.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**US Coast Guard – 400 Sand Island Pkwy. – Saturday 1405 hours**_

Danny listened to the communication between the command center and the rescue chopper. He was anxious to hear about his friend's condition, but so far they hadn't said anything.

"What did they say?" He asked Lieutenant Myers who was assigned to assist the Five-0 detective as long as he was a visitor at the Coast Guard Center.

"Nothing yet, only that they have him out of the water. Why don't you go and get to Tripler? They will fly him there. It should only take them about ten minutes."

Danny was already calculating how fast he could make the almost seven miles to the Medical Center. Under normal circumstances he would need at least thirty minutes.

"Thanks, I'll do that."

Danny didn't even wait for the lieutenant to say anything but made his way out the door as fast as he could. Danny stumbled and almost fell down the stairs and only then did he realize that there was no reason to race to the hospital like a madman.

No matter how fast he would be, he would not be there before Steve was already in the trauma room. A place Danny wouldn't be allowed to go. So, he would again be fated to wait for any word on his friend.

In light of that realization it didn't make any sense to break his neck in his haste, or to put any other people or himself in danger while he was rushing to Tripler. Steve wouldn't go anywhere and whatever condition he was in, he would get the best care possible no matter if Danny was there or not.

Danny took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He was tempted to call Catherine, but what could he tell her? That Steve had been found, but Danny had no idea in what condition? He decided it was better to wait until he could give her more than the basic information.

A moment later he had left the building and made his way over to his car. Getting on his way and off the island on to the North Nimitz Highway took him only a couple of minutes. But he knew he wouldn't be lucky enough not to have heavy traffic on his way to Tripler Army Medical Center.

A look at the dashboard clock told him that it was only ten minutes past two and that Steve was about five minutes from reaching the emergency room.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**En route to Hilo International Airport – Saturday 1405 hours**_

Catherine Rollins couldn't believe her luck. If everything went according to plan she would make the flight out of Hilo at 1433 hours. Right now she was sitting in a private helicopter owned by some rich guy who heard her talking about not being able to get to the airport in time to get a flight to Honolulu.

"I can't thank you enough for taking me with you," she said into her microphone and looked at the older man sitting across from her.

"I'm glad to help. I'm sorry I intruded on your privacy like that back at the Four Seasons, but you seemed in such distress—"

"No, no, I'm grateful that you butted in. Really, thank you. The earliest flight I could take without your help would be in about six hours," Cath told Robert Core, as he had introduced himself earlier.

"I hope they will find your friend. He seems very important to you. If you don't mind me saying so," Robert said.

"That's alright. Yes, Steve is very important to me," Cath answered with a smile thinking about her relationship with her friend. "Unfortunately he has the tendency to get into trouble."

"I'm sure everything will work out in the end, and your friend will be fine." Core told her with a sad undertone.

"Thank you."

They both fell into silence and Cath wondered what the story was behind his sudden mood change. It would be days later that she'd find out that Robert Core's wife went on a swim and her body was found three days later. She obviously had been the victim of a shark attack and had bled to death from a wound to her leg.

Core had come to the Big Island every year for the last thirty years, ever since his wife had died. He would go out to where she most likely perished and would place a small box into the water. The box was filled with pictures of their three kids, telling the story of their lives after their mother had been taken from them.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Saturday 1415 hours**_

Dr. Daniel Kulani entered the trauma room and was determined to get a better outcome for this drowning victim than the one he just treated and had to declare DOA. No matter how good the hospital and the staff are, sometimes it's just not enough.

But he would not call another time of death today. That was his intention, and he prayed that his next patient would walk out of here whole and intact. What he had heard so far wasn't really encouraging though. Not breathing on his own; temp below 84°; heartbeat of just 34, and a blood pressure way below the numbers considered safe. The only thing in his favor was the relatively clear lungs.

As far as he knew their next patient had been in the water for over eight hours, so they would also be dealing with dehydration and sunburn. Possible also was the beginning of multiple organ failure.

Kulani shook his head at what most people thought about the warm waters around Hawaii; the fact that it wouldn't matter to spend hours on end in it and walk away unscathed. That was not the case. And surely not on a day like this, with high waves, cold wind and cold driving rain. Those were dangerous conditions and not to be underestimated.

Adding to the environmental factors were also the personal factors like injuries, general health conditions, the victim's age and fitness status. He was sure that the lieutenant commander was in top shape and probably had no underlying health issues. But he had no information about any injuries. So, there could always be surprises.

Kulani was interrupted in his musings when the door to the trauma bay was pushed open and the gurney with their latest patient was brought in.

"Alright, people, let's get him on the table. On three," Kulani called out and with the help of the attending nurses, McGarrett was on the table in no time.

A flurry of activity started then, from checking the vitals to attaching the breathing tube to a ventilator. Up until now Steve had been ventilated manually with an ambu bag.

Five minutes later they had Steve under a heating blanket, inserted a Foley to irrigate the bladder with warm fluids, also a second IV was inserted to help with hydration and warming him up. Blood work was already on the way to the lab. All the scrapes were cleaned and would be dealt with more closely at a later point. They also stabilized his very bruised wrist and give him an x-ray as soon as he would be more stable.

"How does it look?" Kulani asked his young colleague who was just checking the head injury.

"I think we should do a CT scan as soon as possible. He only shows very weak reactions to stimuli," Jeff Manson, their youngest doctor, said. To prove his point he pressed the knuckles of his right hand on Steve's sternum, but as said there was only very little reaction.

They all knew that wasn't a good sign.

"His BP is dropping!" One of the nurses called out, and a second later the attached EKG started blaring in an alarming rate.

"Damn, he's going into rewarming shock," Kulani said and started measures to counteract this life threatening condition.

It was always a possibility that the body warms up too quickly and causes a collapse. Kulani had hoped to avoid it, but it was now a real possibility that he would have to call a T.O.D. a second time today after all.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Emergency department – Saturday 1430 hours**_

Danny was pretty sure his drive up to Tripler had set a new record. He had parked in the lot and was now heading to the front desk in the emergency department.

"May I help you?" The young corporal asked Danny as he stood in front of her counter.

"Yes, Lieutenant Commander McGarrett was airlifted here. I need to know how he is."

"When was that? Mister…?"

"I'm sorry. Williams, Detective Williams. Ah, maybe half an hour ago. They fished him out of the water," Danny explained.

Corporal Denise Hart looked at her colleague, something that didn't go unnoticed by Danny.

"What was that? What was that look?" Danny wanted to know, and got a really bad feeling about what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but we are not allowed to give out any information about patients. But I'm calling a doctor who can tell you more about the commander."

"Can't you just tell me if he's okay?"

"I'm really sorry, but you should wait over there for the doctor," the corporal said and pointed to the waiting area across from her counter.

"Okay," Danny knew that she only followed protocol, but he found it most frustrating.

He was about to turn and walk over to the designated waiting area when another young corporal came to the counter with an armful of files.

"Hey, Denise, did you hear? The drowning victim didn't make it. Just a warning, Kulani is really pissed, you should stay out of his way."

"Terry!" Corporal Hart called out and glared at the careless young corporal and then at Danny who had blanched at the news that his friend had died.

H50 – H50 – H50


	11. Chapter 11

_**I'm truly sorry that this is a little late. But RL is a bit hectic at the moment. On the bright side though, this is a long chapter, and you will get the next one right on schedule next Monday.**_

_**Hope you will enjoy this one. Let me know.  
**_

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 11**

**Tripler Army Medical Center – Saturday, 1431 hours**

Danny looked around in confusion as the penetrating siren started howling. He was still in a daze after he had learned, not a minute ago, that his best friend had died.

"Sir, you have to leave," the nurse behind the desk told him and got him out of his stupor.

"What?!"

"You have to leave the hospital, this is a fire alarm," she told him as she came around the counter.

"NO. I have to talk to a doctor. My friend…"

"You have to leave, right now!" Sergeant Hart told him and winked an MP over who was just securing the exit. "Corporal, please make sure everyone leaves this area immediately."

"No, you don't understand. I need to find my friend." Danny again tried to reason while the huge uniformed guy gently led him outside.

"Sir, please leave and move to the collecting point down on the parking lot. Please help people getting there," the MP told Danny after seeing his badge and identifying him as a police officer. "Make sure no one is left behind on your way out."

"But, I—"

"NOW, Sir!"

"Fuck," Danny grumbled and turned to walk out the exit and as instructed, made sure everyone in the waiting zone was coming with him.

It only took the group a couple of minutes to reach the parking lot away from the building. Danny watched in amazement how everyone in that wing of the hospital was leaving in a seemingly orderly manner.

The first fire fighters were already rushing into the emergency department. He couldn't see any smoke coming out the building, but knew that didn't have to mean anything. Danny wondered what they were doing with the patients currently in the ER, or if there even were any patients right now.

He had to go back and make sure that his friend was not in there right now, getting killed by a stupid fire. _What if that idiot of a corporal was right, and Steve had—No, he wouldn't believe that, not before he saw his body. _

Danny kept looking at the entrance to the ER; he waited another minute and then decided on his plan.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Kapiolani Blvd – Friday, 1155 hours**_

"Hey, you okay?"

Steve looked at his friend when he was addressed by Danny, "What?"

"Are you okay? You're grimacing."

"I'm not," Steve answered as he adjusted his tac vest.

"Guess the vest isn't really comfortable on those bruises?" Danny had seen the angry bruises forming on his friend's chest, and knew that he was hurting.

"I'm fine, Danno. Let's wait for Duke and SWAT before we go in," Steve told his partner; ignoring the look Danny was giving him. They had requested a small group of SWAT members along with HPD back-up.

They had no idea what they would find in the office building, but the information they had received from the building manager suggested that the rented office was mostly empty. They were told that the occupants were still in the process of moving in. And that two of them had left the building about fifteen minutes ago.

Steve and Danny had learned that the rented office was on Level two and consisted of three offices overlooking the parking lot out back.

"Duke, are your men in position?" Steve asked when they met with the HPD sergeant.

"We're ready when you are, Steve," the older man told them.

"Alright, then let's go."

Steve and Danny went into the lobby on Level one and found their way to the stairs leading to the floors above. SWAT and HPD would wait for their signal to come in.

Steve opened the door to the stair case and Danny entered first, leading the way up the two flights of stairs.

Danny had just reached the top when the door was suddenly pushed open and 180 pounds of pure muscle barreled into him. Danny tried, but couldn't keep his balance and stumbled into McGarrett who was still on the stairs.

Steve was taken by surprise when his friend, who had been right in front of him, suddenly fell back against him. He grabbed the railing and tried to stay on his feet, but Steve lost his grip when Danny instinctively pushed away from him to upright himself.

Steve had no chance against the power of gravity and knew he would fall. He tried to turn, but was already falling straight backwards. He had a perfect view at Danny's panicked face. Steve thought he heard Danny calling his name, but then he impacted on the stairs and that really took his breath away.

He tumbled head over heels down the way they had just come up, landing in a heap on the landing at the mid-level. The guy who had run into them was storming further down the stairs, knocking Steve in the head as he ran past him.

Steve was getting back onto his hands and knees again when Danny reached him, "'m good… go after him," Steve panted out and motioned for Danny to follow their suspect.

He made his way back onto his feet but had to lean against the wall when a wave of dizziness slammed into him. When he had hit the deck, he had seen a nice kaleidoscope of stars, and his vision only slowly cleared.

The head of Five-0 pushed away from the wall and started to move down the stairs after his partner when he heard a loud banging sound from the first floor. It sounded like a door being forcefully shut.

"Danny! You alright?" Steve called out to his partner through his mic.

"Okay. HPD is with me," Danny sounded like he was hot on pursuit.

Knowing that Danny had back-up from Duke's men, Steve made his way up the stairs to take a look at what had made the sound he had heard. He drew his gun and entered the hallway on the first floor.

He knew the rented office was only a short distance from where he entered and cautiously made his way over to the right door. Steve stood next to the door and smiled when two HPD officers found their way onto the floor. Duke had sent his back-up. He motioned the two officers next to him, and counted down from three with his hand.

One of the officers, Big Mike, a guy they had worked with before, kicked in the door, and Steve, Mike and Officer Cane entered the office with their guns drawn. But what they found was not what any of them had expected.

They cautiously made their way through the offices but it was soon clear that the space was empty. They gathered in the main office when again the door flew shut with a loud bang. But this time the sound was drowned out by a few small explosions.

Within seconds the whole office was filled with a vast amount of CS gas. The reaction of the three men was immediate. Even if exposed to it before in training, no one can prevent the involuntary reactions.

In moments it was clear that they were being exposed to the really high grade stuff. Steve couldn't keep his eyes open, they were burning and watering. His upper body was subjected to muscle spasms and he doubled over, falling to his knees. Breathing was suddenly a challenge, he was coughing and it felt like his insides were running out his nose. The strong urge to vomit was almost his undoing.

Steve had no idea what had been in those grenades, but it for sure wasn't the normal police grade tear gas. They had to get out of the offices, that much was clear. Steve crawled in the direction he thought the door was and hoped that his sense of direction wasn't failing him.

"Steve? What's going on? Steve!" He heard his partner calling in his ear piece, but was unable to answer him.

He was completely overwhelmed by coughing, sneezing and wheezing. He could barely breathe, his chest felt constricted, his throat was burning, and his eyes were on fire. He felt incredibly sick to his stomach and was dizzy. He had been exposed to many variations of CS and OS gas a few times, but he had never had such a strong reaction.

Steve could feel one of the officers had grabbed his boot and held on to find his way out. He hoped he wasn't leading them into the wrong direction. He was just about ready to pass out when he felt strong hands grabbing him and dragging him forward.

He felt a fresh breeze and knew he was out of the office, but was still not able to open his eyes or help with moving away from the contaminated offices. He was too busy fighting not to lose consciousness.

Suddenly he was gently laid on the ground and he felt people around him, talking all at the same time. The urge to vomit got overwhelming when he heard the sounds of retching next to him. That send him over the edge too, accompanied by coughing he got violently sick. Completely exhausted he finally couldn't fight the darkness any longer.

H50 – H50 – H50

He couldn't have been out for very long. Steve opened his burning eyes to see the concerned face of Danny hovering over him.

"I leave you alone for one minute. Man…" Danny scolded him, but Steve could hear the worry in his voice.

"The… others… okay?" His question was still interrupted by coughing.

"They are in the same condition as you are. Coughing up a lung, and throwing up last week's food," Danny informed him. "How do you feel?"

"Like road-kill?" Steve mumbled between more coughing. He raised his hands to rub at his still burning eyes, but was stopped by Danny.

"Don't rub. They irrigated your eyes with a special solution. The medic said you should feel relief in a few minutes."

"Okay." Steve laid his head back and tried to breathe normally. "Danny, this was nothing but a trap. Did you get your guy?"

"Did I get my guy? So nice of you to remember that."

"Hey, give me a break, will ya?"

"Of course I got my guy. I'm not the Navy SEAL who got knocked out by a little bit of tear gas."

"Very funny," Steve said and looked at Danny. Seeing him grinning he knew that Danny was just riling him up. Steve was about to ask about their captured suspect when another wave of nausea slammed into him.

Danny had just enough time to grab a bag the medic had given him for this coming event, before Steve lost the rest of his breakfast, and every morsel he had eaten before that.

"All done?" Danny asked after Steve stopped retching.

"Think so," Steve grumbled and gratefully took the water bottle Danny offered him. "Thanks."

Steve only now noticed where they actually were. In the back of an ambulance; but mostly he only now noticed his state of dress, or better undress. He was covered with a sheet to his waist and that was actually the only piece of clothes on him. Since they were not in a Greek saga, a toga probably wouldn't even count as clothing.

"They took it off," Danny informed him matter of factly, seeing his face. "It will probably be burned."

"Oh. Right." Steve remembered that his clothing of course also was contaminated. Then he squinted at his friend. His vision was still blurry, but it was slowly improving. "Why are you in a coveralls?"

"I got some of the stuff on my clothes."

"You hauled me out of there, didn't you?" Steve suddenly knew whose arms had dragged his six out of the office.

"You, my friend, need to lay off the donuts."

Steve only grinned at that comment. "Thanks, Danno."

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, they will take you to Queens to check you over—"

"No, I'm fine."

"Where Cath will provide you with fresh clothes," Danny continued, without missing a beat. "Then you can join us at HQ to learn all about Kono's operation. She, by the way, arrested the rest of the gang."

"She did?"

"Yeah. Three guys, including Skip Redding, or Marcus Philips, whatever name he is using right now. With the guy we arrested, we have all four of them."

"Wait a minute, you're saying we have them all in custody?"

"Yep. Listen, Steve. Let them check you out. You can't even say a sentence without coughing and wheezing for breath."

"Okay, fine. But only because Cath has my clothes at the hospital."

"Sure. Whatever. I'll see you in a bit at HQ."

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Saturday, 1440 hours**_

Dr. Kulani pushed the gurney through the door to the hallway leading to the pediatric wing. It was the closest department right now that was declared safe, and his patient wasn't stable enough to be carried endlessly around the hospital. So the pediatric ICU had to do for now.

As far as he knew there was an electrical fire in the server room of the TAMC, which was in the process of destroying all their servers. Thankfully the power station was in a different wing and not affected. It would take time to get all the data from the back-up servers, but nothing would be permanently lost.

But it would be a nightmare to find a particular patient if the system was down. All patients already on their stations wouldn't be affected, their data was stored in a different system, but everyone in the ER and ORs would not exist until the system was restored.

But that was really not Dr. Kulani's worry right now. He was only thinking about the eleven patients from the ER they had had to transfer immediately out of the danger zone. All the administrative stuff would come later.

For a moment he thought that the odds really were against him today. First the drowning victims and now he was in danger of losing even more patients due to a darn fire.

He looked up when the heart monitor, currently lying at his patient's feet, started beeping again in a frantic manner.

"Damn, hurry, we need to get him into a bed before he crashes again."

Five minutes later, the patient was in a bed under a warmed blanket. It was quite a sight seeing the over six foot man lying in bed next to a small child sleeping in the ICU bed next to him.

Dr. Kulani had to smile at the picture in front of him and was happy that he didn't have to call a second _time of death_ today after all.

"Hey, Jenny, take good care of this guy. A lot of people are rooting for him. I'll stop by later to see if we can transfer him to a private room. IF we ever figure out what rooms are available," he added at an afterthought about the ensuing chaos that would the next hours bring.

"Sure. Give me the low down of his condition." Dr. Grassi asked, looking at his colleague from the ER. This was the second patient Kulani had brought over. The first one, a woman, was already resting in one of the rooms as her injuries weren't as severe.

"His temp is slowly rising, but he suffered rewarming shock. We got that covered though. His kidneys need to be monitored; he's still dehydrated and not producing much output at the moment. The data is on the clipboard." Kulani was glad that he hadn't been able to put it in the system just yet. So they still had all his test results. "He has severe abrasions on his leg and side. A couple of broken bones in his left hand, which we haven't casted yet; still too much swelling. He must have hit something pretty hard to get those breaks. We are also a bit worried about his head. It seems that he has suffered different blows to the head recently. We diagnosed a severe concussion. He reacts to pain stimuli but doesn't come fully alert. That's pretty much the run down so far. Oh, and he moans every time we move his right leg, but we couldn't find any obvious injuries. There is some bruising, but we need an MRI to know more. No internal bleedings or injuries."

Dr. Kulani finished the tale of his patient and knew he would be in good hands with his new doctor.

"Okay, that doesn't sound too bad. We'll take care of him. You head back to your other guys."

"Thanks."

Kulani took one last look at the now sleeping lieutenant commander and left the pediatric ICU to see if he could help with the evacuation of the rest of the patients.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Saturday, 1930 hours**_

It took the fire department five hours not only to extinguish the fire and contain it to the server room, but mostly to make sure that no toxic fumes were still lingering in the emergency department. Thankfully there had been no damage to the rest of the hospital. Only the over 3,000 square feet of the server room had been destroyed.

Because of the fire, the whole system regarding the patients was down. It would take at least a day to restore the hospital to full operational status. At the moment only medical information about patients could be called up, but everything associated with their administrative status, including their placement in the hospital could not.

It was utter chaos, but the most important thing was that the doctors could call up information about their patients even though no one could figure out where one patient was at the time. And if the patient had been in the process of being admitted to the hospital during the fire, he or she would be totally lost until the system was back up.

But as nurse Kala Griffin tried to tell Danny for the umpteenth time, "the important part is, Detective, if your friend is in this hospital he will get the best care possible. I'm sorry I can't tell you right now where he might be."

"You don't get it. I was told _**five hours**_ ago that Commander McGarrett had died, and immediately after that, I was pushed out into the parking lot. No one is still here so that I can talk about it." Danny was getting really frustrated right now, as was Catherine, who had joined Danny in the parking lot two hours ago. First Danny and then the both of them had made numerous attempts to get into the hospital before now, but without any luck. The fire department refused admittance to anyone who didn't belong there.

"Listen, can't you tell us what doctor treated him in the ER?" Catherine now tried her luck.

"I'm sorry, as I have told you, there was already a shift change, I don't know who was in the ER at the time of the fire," nurse Griffin told them… not for the first time. "Maybe you should simply go down to the morgue and try your luck there."

"Are you kidding me?!" Danny exploded. "Luck? You think we would have luck if we'd find our friend down there?" Danny couldn't keep his voice down any longer.

"Danny, she's only trying to help," Cath tried to calm the agitated detective down. She was upset herself, but she also knew how the military worked.

"That is no help at all!"

"I'm sorry, Sir. That was uncalled for," the nurse said and did look apologetic. "I know this must be really frustrating for you, but believe me it is for us as well. You are not the only one looking for a loved one. But again I assure you, your friend will get the best care—"

"Possible, yeah, yeah, you already told us." Danny didn't want to hear it another time. "Thank you."

"Danny, where are you going?" Catherine nodded to the nurse and followed Danny.

"To the morgue."

That actually stopped her in her tracks. "You can't be serious."

"Look, Cath, I just need to know, okay? You don't have to come, but I simply need to know." Danny looked at Steve's friend, and could see the anguish on her face. "I'm sure it's not him, but… I just need to know," he added in an almost whisper.

"Okay, but then let's go together."

Ten minutes later they had found the morgue and asked about the still unknown drowning victim.

"Are you here to ID the body?" The pathologist on duty asked them.

"We are looking for our friend, he was fished out of the water by the Coast Guard and brought here around the time—"

"I see, and no one can tell you if that is your friend. I understand," the doctor told them and took out a clipboard with a filled out form on it. "The victim is in his thirties—"

"Does he have tattoos?" Danny suddenly thought about the most obvious thing to ask.

"Tattoos?" The doctor asked and looked at his paper. "Yeah. Two."

"On his arms?"

"Yeah?"

Danny didn't ask anything else, just looked at the doctor, and asked himself if he had already performed an autopsy on his friend. He shuddered at the thought.

"As I said he's dark haired and six foot, two."

It was clear that they would have to take a look if they wanted to be sure. "Cath, you can wait here; I'll go in."

"Thank you, Danny."

Catherine watched Danny vanish behind the pale green door and prayed that he would not come out with the devastating news that they had found Steve.

She had to wait two minutes for the door to open again and a smiling Danny came out. "It's not him," he blurted out, almost overwhelmed when Cath hugged him. "Hey, it's okay, Cath, please don't cry."

"Sorry, but…" Catherine couldn't quite describe what she was feeling right now. Relief was not enough to describe her feelings.

"Okay, now let's go and find our wayward friend. I don't care if we have to look into every damn room of this hospital," Danny told her and was already on his way back to the elevator.

"We should start with the ICU. I mean I think he most likely would be there, right?"

"Guess that makes sense. We need to find out if they have more than one." Danny was determined to find his friend. He was a detective for God's sake. He would be able to find a lost patient in a hospital.

At least that's what he thought.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

_**No cliffhanger this time. Hope that makes up for the delay. :-)**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Thank you all so very much for your kind reviews. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. :-)**_

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 12 **

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Pediatric ICU - Saturday, 2030 hours**_

A bone deep ache was the first Steve felt on his way to wakefulness. A deep ache all over his body. He was certain there was not even one tiny little muscle that didn't hurt in some way. From a barely felt small ache to considerable pain spread over most of his body.

And the tremors running up and down his abused body didn't help his condition one bit. He felt shivers of cold invading his, up until now, peaceful sleep.

Steve tried to move, to alleviate the pain in his leg, but the slight movement only made him groan.

"Commander?"

_Stop yelling. Please._ Another pitiful groan escaped him when spikes of pain lanced through his skull, threatening to send him right back into unconsciousness.

"Are you in pain?"

_Take a guess, whoever you are._ Steve tried to voice his opinion about the person who was still yelling at him, but couldn't manage to do so.

"Commander McGarrett, open your eyes."

Steve fought hard to obey the given order, but a second later he wished he hadn't succeeded. The moment the light hit his eyes, his head exploded and he toppled over the edge and disappeared back into blissful darkness.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Well, that didn't quite go as hoped," Dr. Julie Grassi said and looked down at the again unconscious commander.

She had tried to rouse him a few times in the last couple of hours. He had always been on the brink of wakefulness, but never made it all the way. She had been worried and had called in a neurologist for a consultation.

They had done a CT for his head, and an MRI for his hip. The CT showed what they had expected, very little swelling and no bleeding. After the specialist took a closer look at his head injury, their diagnosis of a severe concussion due to repeated hits to the head still stood.

The MRI showed a lot of trauma and swelling around the hip and groin area which was obviously the cause of a pinched femoral nerve; an extremely painful injury that often occurred after blunt force trauma to the hip region. It's often a complication with hip fractures due to car crashes or other high velocity injuries. But it can also happen without any outside force. So far, they had no explanation as to how McGarrett got the severe bruising. They had to wait until he woke up to ask him about it. Grassi wondered how he had been able to swim with such a painful injury.

They were hoping that he wouldn't suffer any long term effects from nerve damage. Healing of such an injury could take a long time, and sometimes people were left with some form of disability. Loss of sensation, or even full or partial loss of function of the affected leg was a possibility.

Grassi had her suspicions about how he had received those injuries though. Her theory would fit the severe abrasions her patient had suffered on his right side from his toes up to his shoulder; practically on every inch of skin that had not been protected by his swim wear.

But if her theory of a shark attack panned out, she wondered how he had survived that.

She looked at the readings on the equipment still attached to her patient and was happy to see that his vitals were all back to almost normal levels. His kidneys were still a little on the iffy side, so he would be stuck with a tube for a little longer, but other than that everything looked good. Now he only had to wake up.

Her musings were interrupted by McGarrett's groaning when he moved, obviously trying to get into a more comfortable position.

She again tried her luck waking him.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Commander McGarrett, come on open your eyes."

Steve heard the woman's voice but no matter what she said, order or not, he would not make the mistake of opening his eyes. Not again. Nope, absolutely not.

Somehow his body was not obeying and his eyes fluttered open of their own accord, again causing the hammering in his head to intensify. Steve groaned and closed his eyes against the invading light.

"Commander, are you with me?"

"Ugh, light hurts," Steve whispered. "Stop yellin'."

"I'm sorry, I know your head hurts pretty badly. We will give you something for it in a minute. But first I need you to answer a few questions. Okay?"

"Uh huh," Steve mumbled.

"You remember what happened?"

"Got shot," Steve said and moved his left hand to lie on his aching chest. Doing so made him groan again when he moved his now casted arm. "What the…" He lifted his hand and squinted at the fiberglass cast from the base of his fingers to mid forearm.

"Who shot you, Commander?"

"What?" He paused for a moment and thought back to what the question had been. "No… that was before. I… I was hit in the head… lost my board… and…" Steve stopped and wasn't sure what he was about to say, he had lost his train of thought and wondered why he couldn't concentrate even on such a simple task.

"Yes, you were hit in the head and suffered a severe concussion."

_Oh, that explains it then. Never handled knocks to the head well._ "Did I make it to Midway?" Steve asked as his eyes drooped again.

"What?" Dr. Grassi asked frowning and wondered what her patient was talking about.

"Mid… floated to… but wa' cold… and…" Steve fell asleep before he could finish his sentence.

Dr. Julie Grassi looked at her oldest patient and had to smile. It was not very often that her little patients were over six foot or were Navy SEALs. Or head of the governor's task force for that matter. Thinking about that she found it odd that no one had asked about him yet. Dr. Kulani had said he would leave a note at the ER desk, so they would know where to find him.

She had to call down and see if that information ever reached the ER. But before she could get to a phone she was called to check one of her smaller patients and thought she'd make the call a little later.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Chin Ho Kelly's room – Saturday, 2030 hours**_

"What do you mean you don't know how he is?" Chin asked Danny after he told him that Steve was in the hospital somewhere.

"We haven't seen him yet." Catherine added.

"Huh? Why the hell not?" Chin got agitated which caused the heart monitor to beep a lot faster than it was supposed to. The consequence being that a nurse hurried into the room.

"Lieutenant, I told you, you have to stay calm. Or we will increase your sedation again." She turned to Cath and Danny. "No stress, no agitation. His blood pressure has to stay low. If you stress him out I have to ask you to leave."

"We're sorry. It won't happen again," Cath assured the nurse who was done checking the readings.

"Make sure that it doesn't." With that she left them alone again.

"Wow. That's your nurse?" Danny asked and looked in pity at his colleague.

"Yep," Chin simply answered. He had to grin; despite her harsh behavior she was quite nice. "She's not too bad."

"Uh huh. Listen, Chin, we just wanted to stop by to see if you're doing okay, or if you needed anything," Danny told the injured man.

"Nah, I'm good. Why haven't you seen Steve yet?" Chin asked.

Catherine told him about their last hour spent on their search for their friend. "I'm telling you, Chin, it feels like we've been to every floor of this hospital. But came up with no information about Steve. It's like he just vanished."

"What's closest to the ER?" Chin Ho wanted to know.

"Closest? What do you mean?" Danny wondered where this was going. Of course they had started at the closest department, which was the pediatric unit. But no Steve there.

"Well, if they had to get the patients out of the ER they would take them to the nearest department that would be equipped to handle 'ER cases'. Right?" Chin looked at them for confirmation.

"Yeah, I guess. But as I said we already checked. Steve's not there."

"Did you look into the rooms, or did you ask?"

"Chin, we looked into every damn room in this hospital," Danny said exasperated. "Okay, maybe not every room. We left out all the women stuff, you know?"

"Women stuff? How old are you, Danny?" Catherine asked him with laughter in her voice.

"You know what I mean. We didn't check the gynecology department. But I highly doubt he's there."

"Did you also ask about him?"

"Chin, we've been into every room, and every ICU. They almost threw us out of the pediatric wing. I'm telling you he was not there."

"Okay. But did you _**ask**_?"

"No," Danny answered.

"Maybe he was in transfer when you looked for him. Maybe they just did some tests on him, or something. They take me to all kind of tests, all the time. You should ask about him. I mean, the nurses' desk should have the information what is happening on their floor. Even if the system is down."

Danny looked at Chin and had to admit that made sense. They had asked the head nurse in every department, except in the pediatric ICU. When they had gotten there it seemed that they all had been busy with a code blue. Danny and Cath had stopped for a moment and watched the professionals attending to a little boy.

They didn't want to disturb them, and just went and took a look into every room and of course the ICU. But Steve hadn't been there.

Of course, they couldn't know that if they had stayed even just one minute longer they would have seen their friend being wheeled back into the ICU after getting a CT and MRI. But they had missed him by a minute.

"Okay. We'll go and ask. I mean, really, how can they lose their patients?" Danny still couldn't believe that they simply misplaced the patients from the ER. In his eyes they relied on computers way too much.

A couple of minutes later, after making sure Chin really didn't need anything, they were on their way to check the pediatric department for their friend a second time.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Pediatric department – 2100 hours**_

"Hi, my name is Detective Williams, this is Lt. Rollins," Danny told the corporal behind the nurses' desk and motioned to Catherine as he introduced her. "We're looking for Commander McGarrett, he—"

"Oh, yes, he's here," the nurse told them with a smile. "Or better, he was here until a couple of minutes ago."

Danny only groaned and was very tempted to hit his head onto the desk. "A couple of minutes ago?"

"Ah, yes. The commander was taken to get an MRI," the helpful nurse informed them.

"Corporal, are you talking about McGarrett?" Dr. Julie Grassi just arrived at the nurses' station and had heard the end tail of the conversation.

"Yes, Ma'am. Two orderlies just picked him up for an MRI."

"No, no, he already had all his tests done. Who ordered this?"

Corporal Nguyen looked at her papers, and announced, "You did, Ma'am."

"No, I for sure didn't. Let me see. That must again be a screw up," Grassi grumbled and snatched the clipboard from the corporal. After just a second she looked up in alarm. "That is not my signature. I didn't order this. Get security up here."

"What the hell is going on?" Danny spoke up and looked at the doctor, expecting an explanation.

"You are?"

"Detective Williams. Steve's partner."

"Detective, I'm sorry, I don't know what is going on. But McGarrett is not supposed to go anywhere. All tests had been done hours ago. And this," she held up the clipboard, "is not my signature."

"Tell security to close the exits, no patients are to leave. Now! Get on the phone," he almost yelled at the corporal and then turned to the doctor. "Is Steve able to walk?"

"No. Absolutely not. He's not even awake, and attached to all kind of equipment. There is no way that he would be able to walk," Grassi informed them.

"We need to take a look at the video footage—"

"You can't. The system has been down since the fire."

Danny looked at Dr. Grassi and the corporal; it was suddenly clear to him that the fire was not some random fire. It was just too much of a convenience that the whole system was down.

"Who would wanna take a patient out of this hospital?"

That was a question Danny didn't have a quick answer to. But one thing was clear, they had to find Steve, and fast.

H50 – H50 – H50

_What the hell? Why am I back out at sea? Oh God, I'm gonna be sick._ Steve woke to movement and the strong urge to vomit. He tried to turn but was pulled up and the sudden movement didn't only make his head explode and the world around swirl in a dangerous manner, it also made him puke all over the person who had pulled him up. Lucky for that person nothing but a bit of bile came up.

"Ah, fuck." Steve heard someone yelling and was pushed back. He wasn't prepared for yet another forceful movement and his head hit the gurney. Steve groaned and was sure he would pass out.

"I told you not to get him up," another voice to the right said.

"Then _**you**_ get him dressed."

_Huh, why the hell do they want me to get…_ "ARGH!" Steve screamed in agony at the terrible pain and pulling sensation in his groin.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The voices drifted through the red haze of pain, nausea and dizziness.

"Getting this thing out."

"You can't just pull a Foley out! Jeez."

"What difference does it make? We're going to kill him anyway."

"Yeah, but until then you want to have this stinking mess? Get your hands off."

Steve could barely breathe through the incredible pain in his head, groin and leg. He tried to come more awake and fight off whoever was handling him right now. He could only see blurry images, but could make out that he was in the back of an ambulance. And two guys were in the process of getting him dressed.

_What the fuck are they doing_, Steve thought and tried to get them to stop touching him. A second later he felt them pulling out the catheter. The handling still hurt, but it was nothing compared to the excruciating pain from before. He felt one of the men lifting his upper body up again, and he was unable to do anything about it.

Steve remembered the doctor saying something about muscle relaxant for the cramped muscles. _Great, they doped me up that I can't even move._

When he was let go he fell back to the gurney and hit his head a second time on the mattress, and this time it was enough to knock him out again. Without ever learning who those two goons were or where they were taking him.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

Okay, start yelling at me. I can take it. Oh, and don't bother trying to find me, my incredible beta Cokie took care of that. ;-)

"You don't have to worry about random readers coming to get you...

I'll save them the trouble.

THEY STOLE STEVE FROM THE HOSPITAL?"

So, my dear readers, you have anything to add to that?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 **

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – ER**_ **- Saturday, 1315 hours**

Steve lay with his head bent back and tried valiantly to keep the coughing to a minimum while the nurse was in the process of rinsing his eyes again. Contrary to what Danny had told him his eyes still burned like hell and his vision was still blurry and watery. Hence the rinsing again.

"Commander, we'll be done in a minute," nurse Kale told him.

"Uh huh." Speaking was not a good idea. It triggered another coughing fit that forced Steve to sit up.

He felt like he had coughed up a lung already and was now in the process of losing his insides. His chest hurt and he couldn't quite keep in the groan when another bout of nausea threatened to make him puke again.

"Commander, are you gonna be sick?"

Steve heard the nurse asking just as he felt the bile rising. Kale held the basin under his chin and he retched up the last of his breakfast. Which wasn't really much; except for a bit of bile nothing came up.

He thankfully rinsed out the taste in his mouth with the bottle of water the nurse had ready for him.

"Thank you," Steve gasped out, trying to catch his breath.

"Come on, lie back down, and we will be done really quickly."

Steve lay back down on the gurney and hoped his eyes would stop burning soon. Steve hated this; being kept from doing his job by some stupid tear gas. But he had to admit he wouldn't be of much use if he couldn't even see straight or keep his eyes open. So, he just had to endure this and hope he'd be better soon.

The coughing had already gotten better even though he had just suffered another fit. But he could breathe freely again and his throat didn't hurt anymore. That was at least a small win. If they could just take care of his eyes, he would be back at HQ in about an hour. At least that was his plan.

Until he heard Dr. Kulani enter the trauma bay. _Shit._

"So, the rumors were right, you are indeed again in the hospital," Steve heard the cardiologist say.

"Uhm, yeah… kind of had a run-in with some tear gas…" Steve told him without leaving his supine position on the gurney.

"Yeah, I heard about that. I just took a look at the other two officers. We are keeping them overnight for observation."

"What? Are they okay?" Steve had thought they were going to be released after treatment.

"They will be. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. My eyes are still burning, but Corporal Kale said the rinsing should do the trick," Steve answered as he sat up a bit more. The nurse put the headrest into a slightly more upright position after she was done with him.

"It should, but the eye specialist will take a look before you can leave. One of your colleagues has some scratches on the cornea, so we need to make sure yours are okay."

"He will be okay?"

"Yes, don't worry." Kulani paused and Steve watched him look around the room.

"Are you looking for something?"

"Yes. If I remember correctly last time I saw you there was an EKG strapped to your chest. I just wonder where that might be."

"I think I can answer that, Doctor Kulani" Captain Nancy Rollins said and entered the now almost overcrowded trauma room. "If I were a betting person, I'd say it's tucked away in his desk at headquarters."

Steve didn't look at Catherine's mom, but rather at his girlfriend who stood a bit behind her mother and looked in worry at him. "I'm okay," he mouthed and smiled what he hoped was encouragingly at her, totally ignoring the two doctors in the room.

"That remains to be seen," the older Rollins said.

Steve looked at her with the same smile he had just given Catherine, and was happy to see that she smiled back at him. He was obviously not in deep shit with her.

"How do you feel, Steven?" Nancy Rollins stepped closer and laid her hand on his arm.

"Not too bad. Eyes are still burning," Steve admitted, and tried not to cough again.

Captain Rollins turned to Dr. Kulani, who as an Army Major was outranked by Catherine's mother. "Have you called in a specialist for his eyes?"

"We've already arranged for that, he should be here soon," Kulani explained and turned to Steve. "I'm here because I would like to do an EKG while you're here."

"That's a good idea. Can I take a look at his test results?" Nancy agreed on the plan and looked to Steve for permission.

Steve motioned for her to go ahead and stopped listening to the two doctors discussing his 'case', instead he focused on Cath. She had stepped close to the gurney and greeted him properly. Which Steve obviously enjoyed. "Did you bring me clothes?" He asked after their kiss.

"Yeah." She held up a small duffel bag.

"Thank you."

"Not so fast, Commander." Dr. Kulani interrupted again. "Before you can get dressed we need to do the EKG and the eye specialist needs to take a look at you."

"How long?"

"How long will that take? As long as it takes," Kulani said and smiled at the annoyed face that greeted him.

"Listen, Major, I don't have time to lie around and wait. I'm fine. So can we speed this up?"

"Oh, you are fine, are you? When I came in here you were coughing so hard that you actually threw up. So, Commander, you might like to rethink your 'I'm fine'."

Steve had now had enough and sat up fully and swung his legs off the gurney, keeping the sheet strategically placed. He looked wide eyed at Catherine in front of him. She wavered in and out of focus and before Steve knew it, he lost his balance and listed to the side.

Without Catherine stepping in and helping him lie back down he would have face planted in a pretty spectacular way. "Uh, that was unexpected," Steve mumbled and closed his eyes. For one, so he didn't have to see the disapproving looks of the two doctors, and the other reason was it helped with the dizzy feeling.

Steve felt a lot of activity around him. Leads were attached to his chest; the headrest was lowered and his feet elevated. He thought that was a bit over the top, but had to admit it helped with the dizziness almost instantly.

"I think your stay just got a little extended," Nancy told him. She stepped closer and put her hand on his shoulder, which actually grounded him and made the room stop spinning.

"Okay," Steve meekly answered.

The people in the room smiled at each other, but also knew they wouldn't be able to keep McGarrett down for long.

H50 – H50 – H50

**Five-0 Headquarter – Friday 1530 hours**

"Hey, what took you so long? Are you okay?"

Steve was greeted by his friend and partner as he stepped up to the smart table. "Released with a clean bill of health," Steve told them grinning. No need to tell them how he had almost fainted not even two hours ago.

They had done their tests and run a bag of saline. Then they had finally let him go. Now his eyes had stopped burning, but were still pretty bloodshot. He hadn't coughed much in the last hour and felt pretty good.

"Can I have that in writing?"

"Very funny, Danny," Steve answered with a smile. He then turned to Kono. "I heard you arrested our blackmailers?"

"Yes, I did," Kono told him.

"Duke was at the hospital checking on his two men; he told me everything went without a hitch?" Steve told them about the HPD sergeant he had met with at the hospital.

"It was textbook-perfect. They of course had set a trap, but we figured that out right away and arrested them in the nearby parked van. Caught them totally by surprise," Kono recounted the events that led to the arresting of the three suspects.

"Have you interrogated them yet?" Steve wanted to know.

"We talked to them, but they lawyered-up and are not saying a peep. Some hot shot lawyers from New York will fly in."

"Okay. Has the FBI said anything about Jimmy Cannon, did they find anything out?"

"Nothing to hold him on any charges. They had to let him go," Danny told him with clear distain in his voice.

"Is he on the no-fly list?"

"They tried that, but without any luck. He must have some great lawyers."

"But they at least have him under surveillance?" Steve wanted to know.

"Not as far as I know. The agent I talked to was not really forthcoming with the information about their investigation."

"Nothing new there," Kono mumbled which earned her a frown from Steve. "What, Boss? They are not very helpful," she said.

"Maybe not, but our reaction wouldn't be that much different. We are also not that big on sharing," Steve reminded her.

"Okay, you two, let's not go there," Danny interrupted. "Let's take a look at who we have in custody. First there is Skip Redding; he seems to be the head of the group. His rap sheet is pretty long, and he seems to work as a hired hit man. We have informed the FBI and the Marshals' office, who are both very interested in him. I guess the DAs have to hack out who gets first dibs on him," Danny explained about their first suspect.

"Is that who you arrested at the office building?"

"Yes. Max is already processing his boots, hoping to put him at Reggie's murder scene. Max said he might be able to extract blood residue from the sole if he was indeed the one stepping into the pool of blood at the scene," Danny explained and gave the word to their youngest member. "Kono's guys are equally impressive. Kono?"

"Jim Parson had been arrested three months ago for aggravated assault, but the charges were dropped. His sheet is pretty long, but nothing really serious on it, except the last case that had been dropped. He seems just to be hired local muscle."

"Do you know who paid him?"

"No, I'm still working on the paper trail."

"Okay. Keep trying. If we're lucky we can link them to Cannon," Steve told them.

"I will, Boss. Now, our second guy is Lewis Black. He's a bigger caliber than Parson; he has already done time on the mainland and here in Halawa. He started his 'career' at fourteen when he clobbered one of his fellow students to death in a fight. He was charged as an adult and spent ten years in prison. He came to Hawaii at 26, never had a 'real' job; he was charged a few times, and spent one year in Halawa. Was released three years ago, since then, nothing until now."

"So, I assume again, just hired muscle?"

"I think so, Steve," Danny answered for Kono.

"Huh."

"What's with the face?" Danny wanted to know.

"That doesn't make much sense."

"Why does that not make sense? It makes perfect sense to me," Danny told his partner.

"Not if you're a hired killer, Danny. You would have guys you could trust. You don't hire some random locals to do your dirty work. Way too risky," Steve explained.

"The boss has a point there, Danny."

"Not if you only needed those guys for an easy job," Danny countered.

"So, what you're saying is that killing two trained professionals like you and me is an easy job?" Steve asked.

"Thank you for calling me a trained professional."

"I didn't call you highly trained, Danny," Steve had to tease his partner.

"Ha. Ha."

"Can I go on now?"

"Yes, Kono, please proceed," Steve told her still grinning.

"Thank you." Kono smiled back. "So, the third guy is just 19 and has no priors. Dave Kaliu graduated high school and is enrolled in college. He doesn't fit into that group at all," Kono told them about the youngest guy they had arrested.

"That is all very fishy, if you ask me," Steve again talked about something not adding up. "Kono, is there anything about who paid them, anything at all?"

"No. But we only arrested them about three hours ago. I'll try my best, but CSI has just started going through the offices."

"Why the delay?" Steve asked and turned away when he had to cough again. It was just a mild fit, but it hurt his chest.

"You alright?" Danny asked in concern.

Steve had turned back to them, still coughing, and winked at them that he was okay.

"Because of the chemicals in the air," Kono answered Steve's question after seeing that he was going to be okay. "The fire department was there. They went in with heavy equipment and cleaned it all out. Took them almost two hours."

"Was anyone else hurt by that stuff?" Steve asked after he had his breathing back under control.

"No, you three were the only ones. You sure about that 'clean bill of health'?" Danny asked. "With your red eyes, you look like a vampire or something strange like that."

"A vampire, Danny? Really?" Steve thought a moment about it. "Can they fly? Probably not; that would be cool though."

"Boss, you'd be a cool vampire," Kono added.

"Right." Steve mumbled and turned back to the files on the screen. "So, we have them all in custody?"

"Seems like it," Danny answered.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't over?" Steve couldn't explain it, but this all seemed too easy. "Danny, did you talk to Denning?"

"Yeah, I called him and told him that we have four suspects in custody. But also told him to keep everyone on high alert until we can go through the evidence. I promised you would call him with an update after we have more information," Danny recounted his conversation with the Governor.

"Okay, then let's go through what we have. Danny, can you call Max and ask if he heard anything else from his FBI contact? I'll call CSI. Kono, please stay on the paper trail. Let's see if we can give Denning the all-clear."

The three didn't waste any time and started on their tasks right away.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Unknown location – Sunday, 0105 hours**_

It was eerily quiet in the small dingy room; light filtered through the small openings in the metal door. The air was stale and humid. It was a rather small room, not more than 10 by 10. A loud AC blew cool air into the room. In the middle of it was a big metal chair bolted to the floor.

Although the chair looked old and used, it was a solid one, securely screwed to the floor. It had a high backrest and thick armrests; it almost looked like an electric chair. No man would move it without the right tools. The floor was full of blood spatter. The concrete was almost saturated by the old and fresh blood. This room had obviously seen a lot in the past, and it looked like it was about to see some more.

Secured to the chair, with a thick leather belt around the upper chest, and restraints on his wrists and upper arms, sat an unconscious man. His chin almost rested on his chest; his feet were bare and his legs also secured to the chair with shackles around his ankles. Shivers ran through the figure, and the one or other twitch could be seen.

The man was obviously on the brink of coming to.

H50 – H50 – H50

The first thing Steve noticed was the pain in his neck; he could barely move his head. Fierce pain shot in his neck and made him groan. He had obviously been in this very uncomfortable position for quite some time. He slowly raised his head and couldn't keep in another groan. His neck and shoulders felt like someone was ramming a knife into the muscles. And his head screamed at him to stop moving.

He vaguely remembered something about a severe concussion. According to the hammering in his head that felt like a huge understatement. He knew that the dehydration and kidney problems also added to the headache. And not to forget the cold he again felt. He couldn't stop shivering and wondered if he was again on his way to hypothermia. _Twice in Hawaii, that must be some kind of record. _

The door suddenly swung open and Steve squinted against the harsh light streaming into the room. He looked at the two men with watering eyes and blinked to clear his vision. Finally able to see them clearly he came to the conclusion that he had never seen them before.

"Mr. McGarrett so nice that you could join us," the taller one spoke first.

Steve just looked at him and wondered if a reply was expected. He tried to figure out where he had heard his accent before. But his head was not in the best of shapes right now and thinking clearly was not his strong suit.

"We're sorry for the poor accommodations, but it won't be for that long anyway," number two told him.

"What do you want from me?" Steve asked.

"Oh, nothing really. We don't want anything from you, Mr. McGarrett. We are just here to entertain you for the next hour or so."

Steve stared at him and tried to figure out if he was serious or not. "What will happen in an hour?"

"Then our client will be here and I think he wants something from you."

"And what is that?"

"Patience, Mr. McGarrett," tall one said and smiled. "But not to worry, you will be able to satisfy our client."

"Shall we begin?" Number two asked.

"Yes, let's begin. Will you please get the supplies?"

If the situation weren't so dire, and if his head wasn't ready to explode, Steve would have laughed at these two goons. They wore expensive suits and talked like they were at a formal meeting. Not like they were in a stinky room that was who knows where.

"It was so nice to have all your medical information handy for us. Let's see what we have here," tall guy said and looked at the clipboard he had brought with him. "Hmm, severe concussion. I bet your head is about to kill you. Isn't it, Mr. McGarrett?"

Steve was not willing to give him the satisfaction of letting him see how much he really was hurting. The only thing he couldn't hide was the shivering that still held his body hostage.

"Not the talkative type I see," tall guy looked back at the information on the clip board. "Pretty bad dehydration, but they got that back to almost normal. Although your kidneys won't really work like they should. I hope you're not in too much pain? They filled you up with a lot of fluids; guess you could use a bathroom right now? Well, too bad."

Steve cursed him for mentioning the bathroom; he was already pretty uncomfortable and had needed to go since he woke up. But he was not going to let this idiot see his discomfort.

"So, what else is there? Oh yeah, lots of abrasions. How did you manage to get those? They look pretty nasty." Tall guy lifted Steve's tee shirt and took a look at the angry, but slightly scraped over abrasions on his abdomen and side. "And finally we have the broken hand. Man, I bet that hurts. All those tiny bones in the hand; that is no fun."

Steve watched in apprehension as the guy stepped closer, took the fingers of Steve's left hand and moved them up and down. Causing pain all the way from his hand to his elbow.

"Yeah, that hurts. But you know it would hurt even more if there was no cast on it." He looked at the light fiberglass cast and shook his head. "Well, we'll come to that later. Lastly there is your body temperature. Wow, that was pretty low. And looking at you I'd say you're again not feeling cozy and warm?"

Steve only glared at his captor, or as much as he could muster a glare. He wasn't quite able to get his eyes to focus.

"Don't worry, I predict you will be quite warm in a few minutes."

Steve watched as he took off his jacket and hung it on a hook in the corner of the room. He retrieved a piece of paper out of his back pocket and unfolded it. Then tall guy looked at his partner who just came back into the room, bringing an assortment of tools with him.

Steve couldn't help but look at the tools and the very calm two men in front of him with a bit of fear creeping into his mind.

"Okay, let's see what is on the list. What do we have first? Broken left wrist. Now, isn't it convenient that the hand is already broken? That makes it easy for us."

Without warning, number two swung a crowbar and hit Steve right in the middle of the casted wrist. The pain shooting though his arm was almost breathtaking. Steve still kept the groan in.

"Huh, that thing is pretty sturdy," tall guy said and nodded at his buddy who didn't hesitate and let the crowbar crash down onto the wrist a second time.

This time cracking the fiberglass and making Steve gasp in pain from the now also broken wrist.

"See, told you it would hurt a lot more without the cast." Tall guy gloated.

"What's next on the list?"

Steve wondered who the hell wrote that list and what else was on it. He didn't have to wait long for at least one of the answers.

"How the hell does he expect me to break just the left tibia and not both bones? We're going to leave that for last," tall guy mumbled. "Okay, next then 9th and 10th ribs on the right. Ah, well if it is more than that he just has to deal with it."

Steve looked at number two who had exchanged his weapon for a cricket bat. Steve tried to brace himself for what he knew was coming, but this time he couldn't keep the scream in when the flat paddle hit his right lower ribcage. He didn't believe anything was broken, but the pain was incredible.

"I don't think that did it," Steve heard through a fog of agonizing pain and his gasping sounds for air.

"Nah, that's good enough for now. What's next?"

"Left collarbone."

Steve wasn't even able to process what was going to happen before the crowbar hit him again. It was obviously the weapon of choice. Steve fought hard to stay conscious, but when number two moved his shoulder to see if he had done his job, Steve simply passed out.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

_**Who the hell are these guys? And what is that list all about? And who is coming to see him in an hour? Tune in next week to find out.**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Open Water – Chapter 14**

_**Five-0 Headquarters – Sunday 0105 hours**_

Danny was thankful that Catherine had stepped in and helped him with the technical aspects of their investigation. He had contacted Kono, but she had told him she and Adam were on the mainland. They would try to get a flight back, but could not say when they would be lucky enough to get seats on a flight. They were still on the waiting list, and now it looked like they would have to wait until their regular flight later in the afternoon.

With Chin still in the hospital and not allowed to leave for another few days, he was the only member of Five-0 currently available. Of course, HPD was helping as much as they could, and they were all looking for Steve, but so far without any leads.

Catherine had enlisted the help of her friends at NI, but so far, they also weren't of any help. It almost seemed like Steve had simply vanished.

"Catherine, we're going to find him," he tried to reassure her and himself at the same time.

"When, Danny? His doctor said he's at risk of kidney failure if he doesn't get continued medical attention. He was in the ICU for a reason," Catherine voiced her concern.

"I know. But I also know Steve; he will be fine in no time. Dr. Grassi also said that they had been amazed at his progress during his stay. He will be fine, Cath."

Danny just hoped his friend didn't suffer more injuries at the hands of his kidnappers. His thoughts were interrupted by a call from Max.

"Max, what do you have for us? Did your contact come around with more Intel?"

"Yes, indeed he did. Jimmy Cannon boarded a plane to Honolulu; he should land in the next few minutes," Max informed them.

"What? Why would Cannon come here? Unless he wants to finish the job," Danny answered his own question. "Thank you, Max. That is the lead we had been waiting for."

Danny ended the call and turned to Catherine. "Let's go to the airport and call HPD. We need to take him into custody and find out what he's here for."

"Danny, maybe we should just follow him? I mean, don't you think he will contact his men when he arrives?"

"That is risky, Catherine. What if we lose him?" Danny thought about it for a moment. "Okay, we will put him under surveillance and watch him for a short while; if he doesn't lead us to Steve we take him in."

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Hawaiian Airline Flight HA51 New York – Honolulu**_

Jimmy Cannon looked out the small window that provided a perfect view of the nighttime skyline of Honolulu. He had been on this flight a few times before, but this time it was special. This time he came to avenge the death of his son, who had been brutally killed in a prison raid. He hadn't needed to die if they would have helped him. But he had suffered injuries and had not been treated for hours. And in the end he had died a slow and painful death.

But tonight he would be avenged. McGarrett would suffer just as his son had. Cannon had just received the information that the preparations were already on the way. And that the task force leader would be ready for him to inflict the final injuries. Cannon wasn't really sure if he could kill a man in such a manner. Until now he never participated in a 'hands on' killing. The closest he came was using a gun to shoot someone; but to stab McGarrett was a different thing. He would get blood on his hands, literally. Something he normally avoided. After all, he had people for his dirty work.

But this time he insisted to off McGarrett himself. His assistant still thought it was a stupid idea to give McGarrett the chance to fight back, but Cannon wanted to enact his son's death as realistic to what had happened as possible. And that meant McGarrett had to have a chance to fight for his life. Of course, he had made sure that the lieutenant commander had already sustained injuries that would this make a fight that would without a doubt end in Cannon's favor.

Cannon was sure, not even a SEAL could fight very well with a useless arm and a broken leg. Cannon had to chuckle at the idea of beating a SEAL in a fight. Weren't they supposed to be the elite? What he had heard of McGarrett in the last few days… that man had had a streak of bad luck. Cannon had almost feared he would be robbed of his revenge when he learned McGarrett had been lost at sea.

Cannon fastened his seat belt as the final approach was announced and tried to stay calm and keep up the front of a friendly businessman to those around him.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Sunday, 0145 hours**_

"Sir, we have a tail," the driver of the black Chevy Tahoe told his passenger in the back seat.

"We expected this; get rid of them."

"Yes, Sir."

The professional driver had no problem to first spot the tail; a blue Ford and further back a silver Camaro, and then to lose the tail. It only took him a little maneuvering and they were tail free and on their way. It had almost been too easy.

"Sir, I think we should switch cars, this was too easy. They wanted us to spot them. I'm sure we still have more people watching us."

"You have prepared for this?"

"Yes, Sir, of course. My partner awaits us in a parking garage; you will switch to his closed van that is parked right next to the entry out of sight. I will park the car and leave on foot. We have to work fast before they can also enter the garage. My partner will get you to your location then. Any questions, Sir?"

"No."

Cannon had worked with this driver before, and knew he and his staff were the best on the market. He couldn't afford to get caught this close to his goal. No price was too high to pay to guarantee the success of his plan.

Ten minutes later Cannon was in the back of a nondescript van and on his way to finally meet the man who he thought was responsible for the death of his son. He had been the one who helped Reggie arrest his son. And after he was done with McGarrett, he would take care of Williams.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Danny, they've spotted the Camaro," Catherine said and motioned to the big black vehicle they had been following ever since the airport.

"I know. That's the plan, remember?" Danny grumbled, still not completely happy with their plan of following Cannon instead of taking him in for questioning.

Danny had a hard time following the black car, but it helped that they were using a cab from the police garage. Danny had remembered that they still had the undercover car, and a phone call to Lukela was all it took to get the cab. Now his Camaro was driven by a rookie cop who had no trouble being spotted by the driver of the Tahoe.

And their second car, the blue Ford, was also easily made out. Now all they had to do was keep up with the black car and watch out for any tricks Cannon and his driver might have up their sleeves. His best friend's life depended on it.

He was now sure that Cannon would lead them to Steve; if they were able to follow them.

"He's getting into the garage. Do you want to follow him, Danny?"

"No. I'm sure they will switch cars. We wait; they'll be out again soon."

Danny looked at Catherine and hoped he would know which car to follow, but he didn't need to worry about that. A minute later, a van came out of the garage, and Danny was sure that was the one.

"Danny, are you sure?"

"Yes. Trust me."

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Unknown location, Sunday 0200 hours**_

Steve tried to concentrate on the two men talking without giving away that he was awake. Which was not easy with the fierce pain that engulfed his left arm from his fingertips to his neck. _Damn, don't think about your neck_, Steve cursed himself for giving in to the pain and letting his thoughts go to the various pains all over his body. Even though he had to admit the pain in his neck and head was probably even a little worse than in his arm. But despite the pain Steve knew that he wasn't seriously hurt… yet.

They still hadn't broken his leg or hit his ribs again. So far, he had suffered no internal injuries and could still walk away from this mostly intact. He had to keep in the chuckle thinking about his doctor, who for sure would have a different opinion about his health condition.

"Oh, you're awake again. That's good."

_Damn_, seemed that he wasn't so good at pretending to be out after all.

"Come on, look at me," tall guy said and roughly pushed Steve's head against the chair's backrest.

Steve couldn't keep in the groan the movement caused. His eyes watered from the pain shooting up his neck and into the back of his head. His head again had obviously rested almost on his chest, a position that had put a serious strain on his neck muscles. He had a hard time keeping his head up and wondered if it was more than a bad strain from the abuse his neck had suffered first from the hours of swimming and then from the awkward position in the chair.

The backrest was completely straight and being bound to it did not only hinder his movement but also put a lot of stress on his back.

"Guess you're not feeling so good right now? Lucky for you, we have the order not to touch you further until our client arrives. I even spared you the broken leg since you already have a leg injury," tall guy told Steve. "Wouldn't be a fair fight with both legs out of commission, now would it?"

"Fight? Wha' are ya talkin' about?" Steve's speech was rather slurred, which he attributed to the concussion. He vaguely remembered his doctor saying something along those lines. But he also remembered lying next to a little kid, so he wasn't sure if any of that really happened. _Why the heck would he lie in a hospital with a two-year old in the next bed?_ His brain simply couldn't come up with a scenario where that would happen. So maybe he never was at a hospital? But why would his brain make up such a weird dream?

"HEY! Don't pass out again!"

Steve jerked awake when tall guy yelled at him and slapped his face. He looked with bleary eyes at his kidnapper and tried to decide which of the three in front of him he should address. _Just pick the one in the middle_. Steve focused on one of the figures and watched in amazement as they merged into one. _Wow, cool._ That thought was the moment Steve realized that he was not going to walk out of here as unscathed as he thought he would. His brain had been seriously whacked and he realized that he needed help, and soon.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve tried to do what he was told, but his vision was blurry and even though the room was now well lit, he felt the darkness invading his consciousness again. He felt the belt on his chest giving way, making him almost sigh in relief when the painful pressure on his bruises was lifted. Steve could breathe freely for the first time in hours. Of course, that feeling didn't elevate his mood for long when he started to slump forward, unable to hold himself up.

"Whoa there. Marco, hold him."

Steve heard tall guy say and cried out when 'Marco' kept him up by pushing him back against the backrest. Doing so sent another pain down his shoulder and arm, Marco obviously didn't care about his broken shoulder.

Steve breathed through the worst of pain and tried to assess the situation. _Why the hell were they untying him? Was that a good thing?_ A moment later his legs and arms were out of the restraints.

"Get up!"

"Wha'?"

"Get up. Don't make me get you out of that chair. Get. Up."

" 'kay." Steve mumbled and used his right arm to push himself into a standing position.

After the second attempt, he stood in front of the chair, but had to fight a serious case of vertigo and grabbed onto the armrest to keep from falling. His right leg protested loudly against putting his weight on it, but it didn't hurt as much as it had back in the water.

For the first time he realized the room temperature had been raised, and the cold air from the AC had been turned off. He wasn't shivering anymore, and except for his bare feet he didn't feel cold.

"Now what?" Steve raised his head, ignoring the painful muscle spasms in his neck and shoulders, and looked at tall guy. Marco had left while he was getting out of the chair and he was now alone with one of his kidnappers.

"Now you're going to meet our client."

Steve only looked at him but didn't move, ignoring tall guy's motioning towards the door.

"Move it."

And then tall guy made his only mistake. But that one cost him dearly. Obviously thinking the SEAL was pretty much out of commission, a mistake one should never make until said SEAL lies unconscious, he stepped close to push Steve into moving.

That was the second Steve had been waiting for. He knew he only had one chance, one shot at knocking him out.

Ramming his elbow into the groin of tall guy was brutal, but swiftly done. Not pausing, Steve threw the back of his right fist into his attackers face, not taking a second to relish in the satisfying noise of breaking bones. Steve turned and rammed his knee into tall guy's solar plexus, robbing him of all air. Steve's vision was graying and he knew he didn't have the luxury of showing any mercy, or he would be dead. His attacker was kneeling, not able to stand with no air getting into his lungs and what Steve knew extreme pain all over his lower body. Steve didn't hesitate and felled him with another viscous kick to the temple.

Tall guy lay on the floor, unmoving. He wouldn't come to for a few hours, if at all. Blood was trickling out of his ear. Steve felt remorse for inflicting such grievous injuries, but also knew it was either that or face his own death.

Steve bent down to retrieve the gun tucked in tall guy's waist, and almost fell forward on top of him. Fierce pain shot into his leg and he went down onto his knees, bracing himself with his good arm to keep from face planting. Unfortunately his broken arm couldn't be held by his useless broken shoulder and gravity pulled the arm forward. Steve groaned in pain when the shoulder was moved.

He had been able to ignore the pain while fighting for his life, but now adrenaline was fading fast and the pain threatened to gain the upper hand. Steve dug deep into his training and pushed down on the pain and limitations of his injured body. That was what his endless drill and training sessions prepared him for, prevailing in hopeless situations.

Steve grabbed the gun and pushed back into a standing position. He swayed slightly and knew all his training would only take him so far. No training on earth could prevent a brain from shutting down due to a brain injury. At some point, his brain would simply shut down. Hopefully after he found a way out of there, or at least a secure place to hide until Danny would find him.

Steve had no doubt that his friend would come to his rescue. He did all he could to stay alive and eliminate the imminent threat, now it was his friend's job to do the rest and get him out of this mess. Steve made up his mind to find a secure location and left the small room, careful not to run into Marco on his way to a good hiding place.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Corner of Kamehameha Hwy/Kuleana Rd. - Sunday 0245 hours**_

It had been incredibly easy to follow the van after they switched cars at the parking garage. So easy even that, for a moment, Danny thought they were following the wrong car, but when they had turned onto Kuleana Road across from the power plant, Danny knew they were on the right track. Abandoned businesses and warehouses were waiting for new owners to bring them back to life. But right now it was the perfect place to hide a kidnapped person.

Danny and Catherine had followed the van and when Cannon stepped out of the back, the detective was already there and handcuffs clicked not even a minute later. HPD was not far behind and moments later the driver and Cannon both had seats in HPD cruisers.

SWAT, HPD, Danny and Catherine entered the warehouse and were surprised to find it separated into many sections. On their search, they encountered one man, who was arrested in moments.

In the room farthest from the entry, they found another man, dead from a blow to the head. What they didn't find was their leader.

"Where the hell is he?" Danny asked in frustration.

They stood in the room with the dead guy and the chair that had obviously been used to hold Steve and who knew how many others before him.

"I think he went into hiding, Danny," Catherine spoke up. "Think about it. He's injured, probably at the end of his rope, he knows that he couldn't fight anyone else. So, he took cover until help comes."

"Where the heck is he hiding? We went through every room, looked into every corner."

"He's here somewhere, Danny."

"Why isn't he coming out now? He must have heard us." Danny looked around the room and shuddered at the thought of his friend sitting in that chair.

"Maybe he can't."

"Where would he hide?" Danny questioned. "Somewhere he could see an attack coming. Somewhere he only had to defend one side. Somewhere not visible from… he's somewhere high up," Danny suddenly knew where his friend was hiding.

They made their way back into the largest of the sections and looked up at the huge rack system ranging from the ground to the ceiling, at least 30 feet.

"Steve?!" Danny called out when they stood and looked up at the top of the rack system.

Of course, they received no answer. A moment later three young HPD officers and Danny were climbing the shelves, looking for Steve.

Danny was the one to find him, almost on the top shelf. Steve was lying at the back of the shelf board, completely out of sight. He lay on his stomach with his right hand outstretched, gun still in his hand.

"Found him. Get the paramedics here and the fire department. We need to get him down."

"Danny, is he alright?"

It took a moment for Danny to find a pulse, but he was surprised at how strong and regular it was. He scooted back from his friend to look down. "I think he's okay. Get EMS up here."

It took almost half an hour to get Steve off his hiding place, secured to a backboard, disturbingly fitted with a neck brace and frighteningly still.

"He's doing okay, don't worry, it's all just a precaution," one of the medics assured the worried friends.

Steve hadn't stirred since they had found him, and they were more than a little worried about his total lack of response. Finally, the gurney was pushed into the ambulance and Steve was on his way back to the hospital, where he should have been the last few hours.

H50 – H50 – H50

_**Tripler Army Medical Center – Sunday 0830 hours **_

Steve listened to the softly spoken chatter and took comfort in the knowledge that he knew those voices and that they were friendlies. He enjoyed the feeling of warmth and the slightly dopey feeling of drugs cruising through his system. He normally wasn't one to enjoy the out of control feeling narcotic drugs gave him, but remembering the pain he felt last time he was awake this was very welcomed.

For a moment he wondered if the cold dingy room had only been in his dreams. But feeling the cast on his arm, the soft neck brace and his shoulder immobilized it had probably been real. _But how did he end up back in the hospital?_ The last he remembered was number two moving his shoulder, causing an incredible pain. After that there were only bits and pieces that came to mind.

"Steve?"

He heard the whispered voice of his girlfriend. That thought made him smile and he tried to turn his head towards the voice, but the brace prevented that, which made him growl in frustration. He tried to open his eyes to show her that he was indeed awake, but they stubbornly refused.

"Don't fight the drugs, Steve. Just relax and go back to sleep. You're safe."

And Steve did just that.

H50 – H50 – H50


	15. Chapter 15

_**This is the last chapter. I like to thank all of you for reading and keeping Steve company during his adventure. Also thank you for all your comments and alerts. I really greatly appreciate it.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**_

* * *

**Open Water – Chapter 15**

"So, let me get this straight, Flipper came and saved you?" Danny asked, clearly not believing a word his friend had just told them.

"Yeah, one of them rammed into the tiger shark. I'm not really clear what happened then, I went under…" Steve paused remembering how one of the dolphins helped him back to the surface.

"Steve?" Cath softly called out.

"Sorry. I went under… and… eh… one of them nudged me back to the surface… the shark was gone by then," Steve explained what had happened. He could see that they all doubted his tale. Chin in the bed across from him just as much as Danny and Catherine. "It's true; I swear that's what happened. They circled me and kept me company for almost three hours."

"Well," Dr. Kulani interrupted as he entered the hospital room. "I can't say anything about the dolphins, but Commander McGarrett was clearly attacked by a shark."

"See?" Steve looked in satisfaction at his friends.

"You have the injuries to back up your story; I can testify to that," Kulani said grinning. It was seldom that he could joke with a patient who survived an attack by a tiger shark, one of the most dangerous sharks.

"Thank you, doctor. At least someone believes me," Steve said, but smiled at his friends.

"Would you all excuse us for a few minutes? I need to take a look at my patient and I'm sure he would like some privacy for what I'm about to do. Take Lt. Kelly with you and give him some air," Kulani told them and motioned to the wheelchair Chin had used a few times now.

It took a minute for Chin to be ready to leave and for Cath to say good bye to Steve, even if it was just for a short while. Steve watched them leave and wondered what his doctor couldn't discuss in front of them.

"Does them leaving mean you're taking the damn tube out?" Steve hopefully asked and referred to the Foley he was still stuck with.

"No, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry, but it's still very necessary. Your kidneys are not doing what they are supposed to do, and we need to keep a close eye on your output. So, the Foley has to stay for at least another 24 hours."

Steve grumbled something and was very unhappy about this development. He had been stuck in bed for three days now, and it was starting to get on his nerves. He knew he was getting grumpy, short tempered and restless, but he couldn't help it, he hated not being able to get around.

"Commander, your latest test results are not good. I'm worried that your kidneys are shutting down; so I want you to have a dialysis cycle to help your kidneys along. You had swallowed a lot of salt water and were severely dehydrated. A lot of damage was also done when the urine flowed back into the left kidney when the catheter was pulled out during your kidnapping."

"Well, there was really no time to use the bathroom," Steve bit out.

"I know. I'm not blaming you. It's not your fault. Even if you had wanted to you wouldn't have been able to pee anyway, there was a blockage from when they pulled the Foley out. You're very lucky you weren't injured more seriously," Dr. Kulani explained. "But the good news is that your other injuries are healing nicely. The abrasions are mostly looking good and the pinched nerve isn't causing any loss of mobility."

"No, but it still hurts to move the leg," Steve complained about the pain every little movement caused.

"I know, we hope that will lessen in the next few days," Kulani told him. "We will take you to the dialysis center in a few minutes. Treatment will take about six hours, so your friends should use that time for whatever they have to do. You will come back here after we're done."

"What if it doesn't help?" Steve knew if his kidneys gave up their work, he would not only be discharged from the Navy but would also lose his job with Five-0. No kidney function meant dialysis at least three times a week. It would pretty much take over his life, a prospect he was not looking forward to.

"We'll look into that if it comes to it. I believe this will help and get your kidneys back on track. It's not like they are not working, just not very satisfactory."

"And you couldn't say that with my friends here?" Steve wondered aloud.

"What? No, no, that's not it. Before you go downstairs I want to take a look at all your injuries again, and I don't think you need an audience for that. We need to redress some of the nastier deep abrasions, and I know that will hurt, so…"

"Oh, okay." Steve wasn't looking forward to the redressing of the deep wounds on his right lower leg and just above his hip, they still really hurt. And when they cleaned them it was pure agony. All the other abrasions were scabbed over but not those two deep injuries.

Ten minutes later they were finally done torturing him. A nurse had come in and brought supplies for the cleaning. And of course they again used the stuff that burned right through his flesh, at least it felt like it was burning a hole into him.

Steve lay on his bed, panting and with his eyes closed, and wondered why they hadn't doped him up before they had started.

"Commander, I'm giving you something for the pain," the nurse said.

_Should have done that ten minutes ago_, Steve thought and nodded his head at the nurse with the syringe in hand.

"I'll let your friends know where you are and when you'll be back."

"Thank you," Steve mumbled and was already half way to another drug induced nap.

H50 – H50 – H50

The dialysis had done the trick and the urologist had been very happy with the output Steve had then produced in the following 36 hours, but still refused to free him from the last tube he had attached. Slowly but surely Steve was getting pissed off. And let everyone know it in no uncertain terms.

"Steve! That is really no way to talk to your nurse. What's gotten into you? You are not like this!" Cath had been a bit shocked at his harsh words and general mean behavior in the last couple of hours.

Steve only threw his head back into his pillow in frustration. He knew he was irrational and unfair to the staff that was treating him. It was not their fault that he had been in pain for the last several hours. He had to apologize as soon as he saw any of them again.

"Steve?" Cath softly asked.

"I'm sorry," Steve begun, but hissed when another spasm hit him. His hand flew to his belly and he pulled his legs up.

"I'll go get the nurse and the doctor," Cath said and patted his arm before she left.

Steve could only nod; he had his eyes clenched tightly shut to ride out the very uncomfortable muscles spasms in his lower belly. They had given him something to relax his bladder an hour before, but it was obvious that his body also wanted to get rid of the tube that was irritating his insides so much.

It took a few minutes for the urologist and the nurse to enter his room, but one look at Steve showed that they needed to act fast. Two minutes later Steve felt the tube finally being removed and breathed a sigh of relief, even though the spasms didn't stop right away.

"Commander, I'm giving you another shot to relax you. That should help soon; just try to relax, okay?"

"Uh huh." Steve watched as the medication was inserted in the IV and hoped it would deliver on the doctor's promise. "Betty, I'm sorry for what I said before," Steve told his nurse who rearranged the pillow his injured leg rested on.

"That's okay, Commander. I know that was just the pain talking. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, well, but I'm still sorry," he told her and slowly began to relax into the mattress as the medication started working.

"Apology accepted. Press the call button if you need anything or if the pain comes back."

"Thank you."

Steve watched his very taciturn doctor make notes in his chart. He had tried to get him to say more than two words every time since he had been introduced, but so far without much success.

"So, Doc, what's the verdict?"

"Huh?"

This man reminded Steve so much of Max of the early days. It was almost scary how much alike they were. Only difference was their appearance, and that this doctor worked with living patients. But their behavior… "Will this stop now that the tube is out?" Steve asked and motioned to his lower region in general.

"Oh. Yes. It should."

_Four words; wow._ Steve had to grin, despite the slight discomfort he was still in. "That's good. So, when can I leave?"

That question made the doc's head snap up in a really funny way. He looked totally flustered and looked wide eyed at Steve, who wondered how this man ever managed to survive his internship.

"That is Dr. Kulani's decision, Sir."

"Okay, I'll ask him then."

"Yes."

"Thank you. For getting it out, I mean… thank you."

"You're welcome. Don't get up and use the bathroom, we need to measure your output."

Steve had to laugh, first at the long sentence, but mostly about the notion of him getting up on his own. That would not happen with all the watch dogs keeping an eye on him. If Cath or one of his team wasn't there to keep him company, the nurses came in every few minutes. Steve had the suspicion they had been instructed by Captain Jordan to keep an eye on him.

But he had his escape planned for tonight. His plan was ready and he would hopefully leave this damn hospital in a few hours and sleep in his own bed. Where no one could stick him with big needles or wanted to measure his output, every output. Or sap him of every last drop of blood, and where, for sure, no one would try to burn holes into his body with their acid sponge baths. Nope, he would be sleeping in his soft bed. Unfortunately all alone. But that was the price he had to pay, and the only reason why his escape would even work. Cath had to be on base at 1600 hours, and then he would be scot-free.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve had had his speech ready ever since Chin had been released yesterday morning. With him gone, being in the hospital had been even more boring. Dr. Kulani had told him they couldn't let him go because of the kidneys, but now that the urologist was happy there was no reason for him to stay even one night longer. At least Steve thought so.

His head didn't hurt much anymore, his leg… well, let's not go there, and the abrasions were healing. Okay, there was still the broken wrist and hand, and of course the broken collarbone, but those were only minor injuries in Steve's eyes. No reason to keep him in the hospital. He could very well wear the damn sling while sitting at home.

He couldn't sleep in the hospital and the nights lying awake were getting to him. He needed to go home if he ever wanted to heal and get back onto his feet. Of course, that was something he couldn't tell Danny, or Cath. They would completely ruin his plan, and Steve simply didn't want to fight about this with them; nor did he have the energy for it. So it was a good thing he was now alone and could talk to his doctor.

"Commander McGarrett, I was told you wanted to see me? Let me guess… you want to leave," Dr. Kulani said by way of a greeting.

"Uh, yeah, actually that is what I wanted to talk to you about." This was not how Steve pictured the beginning of the conversation.

"Yeah, your girlfriend told me you were getting restless, and we should keep an eye out for any escape plans," Kulani told him with what Steve considered an 'evil' grin.

Steve only gaped at Kulani and knew he had to have a word with the traitorous girlfriend. "No, it's just, I can't get any sleep here, and since you said I could go if the urologist gave his okay… and he just did that… and you would release me into the hands for Dr. Rollins… so, I thought…"

"Capt. Rollins would look after you?"

"She's staying at my house." Only half a lie, she stayed there, but left a few hours ago for two days on the Big Island. Their visit to the other island had been interrupted first by Steve's adventure at sea and then by her husband's sprained ankle.

"So, if I called her she would confirm this?"

"Absolutely." _Don't break your poker face; you're almost out of here._ Steve didn't break eye contact and dared his doctor to call the high ranking officer.

"I tell you what, Commander. You have only been out of bed a few times to get your circulation going but haven't even taken any steps. If you can walk the hallway a few times today, then I will sign your papers. How's that?"

"Deal." Steve had no doubt that he would be able to walk around. "When do I start?" Steve asked and prepared to get out of bed, but was halted by a fierce pain shooting into his injured groin area when he lifted his leg off the pillow.

"I'd say _**after**_ you take your next dose of pain medication," Kulani said with mild amusement. He had to hand it to McGarrett; he was nothing but determined. "I'll tell the nurse to help you get dressed in something other than a gown and then you can try to get up and walk around a bit. But I'm warning you, don't overdo it or you will be back in that bed for a few more days. You still have a concussion and I bet your leg is about ready to kill you. So, take it slow."

"I will." Steve had no intention of staying another night in this hospital bed, and if that meant he had to take slow steps to reach his goal, well, then he would do that. He'd do anything to get out of here.

H50 – H50 – H50

"So, Commander, I take it you won't be alone at home tonight?" Dr. Kulani asked as he took a last look at Steve before signing his discharge papers.

"That would be pretty stupid, now wouldn't it?" _Clever, don't give him an answer_, Steve thought and kept his face straight.

"Yes, it would. Give the aftercare instructions to Captain Rollins and follow the advice on it. Do not, I repeat, do not go swimming until the wounds are completely closed. The last thing you need is an infection. Your kidneys could not handle that."

"Major, contrary to everyone's belief, I'm not an idiot. I won't go into the ocean, or walk around much. I will rest until I feel better. I will come see you next Monday for the follow-up," Steve told his doctor and had every intention of doing just that.

"Good. You're on sick leave until further notice. Any questions?"

"No. And thank you for releasing me."

"Well, there is really no reason for you to be in the hospital any longer. That doesn't mean however for you to do whatever you want," Dr. Kulani hurried to add. "NO strenuous activity whatsoever."

"I got that the first three times," Steve grumbled.

"Good, so will you be picked up by Lieutenant Rollins or Detective Williams?"

"Neither. They are busy," Steve told his doctor, seeing his alarmed face he continued. "Relax; Rollins is on the base and Danny at HQ. I will see them soon." Steve had no doubt they would come seek him out as soon as he told them he was out of the hospital, which he had no intention of doing before later this evening. He just needed a few hours to himself to set his plan in motion.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve was exhausted. He had spent the last four hours getting his plan fulfilled; surprisingly the hardest part had been convincing Rachel to agree to let Grace go on a trip to the mainland with Danny. Yes, it was short notice, but it _**was**_ a concert of her favorite boy group. Stan had been the voice of reason and convinced Rachel to say yes, so Grace wouldn't miss out on going backstage with her favorite music group.

He had secured two seats on a private jet his friend flew back to LA for his company and agreed to take Grace and Danny on board. For Sunday he had to buy two tickets for the flight back with Hawaiian Airlines, but got them for a reasonable price. So they were all set.

He had also booked them into a Hotel in LA with shuttle service, first to the hotel and later to the concert. Steve hoped nothing would disturb their trip. But now he was really spent and looked forward to taking his medication and vegging out on the lanai before calling Danny and ask him to come over.

His shoulder was bothering him and his leg hurt, but all in all he felt much better than he had expected, although he was really tired and ready to drop. He paid for the cab and slowly got out of the car, gauging how far he would have to walk to the front door. But he put one foot in front of the other and managed to walk in a semi-straight line.

Steve opened his front door and came face to face with a very angry Danny.

"What the hell were you thinking? Where the hell have you been?"

"What?" Steve almost stepped back by his friend's outburst as soon as he had stepped into the house.

"I came to the hospital where I was told you had left. Without telling anyone. Are you nuts? You have any idea where we have been looking for you in the last three hours? We thought you were kidnapped, or something," Danny yelled at his friend.

"What?"

"Is that all you can say? Why the hell is your phone turned off?"

"I was released… and my battery died… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to worry you," Steve slowly answered. "Listen, you said you wouldn't come to the hospital until later tonight, and then…"

"Oh, yeah, by then you had sneaked out—"

"I didn't sneak out, I was released," Steve interrupted.

"Oh, I know all about your fishy release. Captain Rollins is taking care of you, right?"

"Eh…"

"We were worried about you, you moron! Why the hell didn't you tell us?" Danny demanded to know.

"I had some errands to run, and I thought…"

"No, that is your mistake right there, you didn't think. You just wanted to get out of the hospital to do who knows what harebrained scheme, I don't even wanna know."

Steve knew that it was only the worry that had Danny yelling at him in such a way, even though it still stung a little that Danny thought he left without telling them because of selfish reasons.

He wordlessly held out his right hand that still clutched the big red envelope with all the tickets and information about the trip to LA in it.

"What's that?" Danny asked and eyed the envelope suspiciously.

"What I did and couldn't tell in case it didn't pan out. I'm sorry I worried you guys. That was not my intention," Steve explained and put the envelope on the table after it was clear Danny wouldn't take it. "I'm going to lie down. Let yourself out when you leave," Steve told his friend.

Without a glance back Steve made his way upstairs, looking forward to lying down and elevating his throbbing leg. It was also time for another dose of his pain pills, and after that hopefully a few hours of sleep.

H50 – H50 – H50

Danny couldn't believe his eyes when he finally opened the envelope after watching his friend make it upstairs in one piece. He was obviously in a good amount of pain, but he held himself up rather well. Shaking his head at his idiot moron of a friend, he again looked at the tickets in his hands.

Danny went upstairs and pushed open the bedroom door and looked at his partner, now sprawled on the bed with a pillow half-way under his right knee. Danny saw the lines of pain on his friend's face and knew that in addition to the leg, his friend's shoulder and arm were also hurting him. Dr. Kulani had explained that the pinched nerve would continue to be painful for quite some time, but they were all optimistic that Steve wouldn't be left with a permanent impairment.

Danny moved closer to the bed and quietly spoke. "Steve?"

"Hmm."

He reached down and lifted Steve's leg to carefully reposition the pillow. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"No, Danny, it's okay, I deserved it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I left the hospital. That was inconsiderate. And you're right, I wasn't thinking that you'd worry about me."

"Okay then, guess we're even," Danny said with a smile. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, just really tired. Pain meds are kicking in, not gonna be awake for much longer."

Danny looked at his sleepy partner and knew he had to hurry if he wanted Steve to hear what he had to say. "You did all this in the past few hours?" Danny asked and waved the envelope around.

"Uh huh."

"Why? Steve, why did you do all this? It must have cost a fortune."

"No, it didn't. Gracie missed out on the band because of me—"

"Steve, that was not your fault," Danny interrupted.

"Doesn't matter… just want her to have fun…"

It was pretty clear that Steve would be asleep in the next couple of minutes. Danny waited and watched his friend slip into sleep and knew what he had to do.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve woke to laughter coming through the open window and just lay for a few more minutes listening to the chatter filtering in from the back of his house. He could hear Chin and Kono laughing about something Danny said. But there were also other voices drifting in, more murmured ones, and he wasn't sure who they belonged to. It seemed that they were getting dinner ready. He didn't remember hearing anything about any dinner plans, especially since 'they' should have believed he would still be in the hospital.

So much for his quiet relaxed time at home. Steve used his right arm to get into a sitting position, hissing at the pain shooting into his leg, but happy not to get dizzy. His shoulder still throbbed a little, but the sleep had obviously done him some good.

He hadn't taken off his sling when he lay down, so he was ready to go. For a moment he looked down at his sock glad feet and wondered when he had taken his boots off. Steve gingerly stood up from the edge of the bed, but found his balance right away and after taking care of business and freshening up in the bathroom, made his way downstairs. And pretty much got the shock of his life.

"Nancy?" Steve stuttered when he laid eyes on Catherine's mom.

"Steve! Good to see you on your feet; I was just on my way to check on you. How do you feel?" Nancy Rollins asked, stepped close and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Eh… good. I feel good. What are you doing here?"

"Well, since Dr. Kulani released you into my care," Nancy said and Steve couldn't help but blush about his little deception, "I thought the least I could do was make sure it wasn't a lie you told a fellow officer, _Commander._"

"But what about your plans to go to the resort?" Steve asked and winced when another pain shot down his leg.

Nancy winked at him, shook her head and told him with laughter in her voice, "That husband of mine might be a scary man to his recruits, but can whine with the best of them about his slightly sprained ankle. He declared he was under no circumstances able to go anywhere farther than sitting on your beach and watching the waves. I think your beach has spoiled him."

Steve had to grin and knew that had not been the reason they had stayed here. "Thank you, Nancy."

"You're welcome. Now let's be serious for a minute. How are you really? Any pain in your back or while relieving yourself?"

"No, it's all good. The urologist said it's back to normal. I should keep drinking lots of fluids, but he doesn't expect any problems in the future."

"That's good. But you have to tell me immediately if you get any pain in your back or get a fever," Nancy again reminded him of the importance of his kidney injury. "How is your head? Any lingering dizziness?"

"No, just a light headache." Before she could ask, Steve continued to get this over with. "My leg still hurts when I move it. And my shoulder also throbs a little, but my hand is okay."

"Okay, then let's not keep them waiting any longer."

"Them?" Steve asked and wondered who was out on the lanai waiting for him.

"We took the liberty of inviting a few of your friends. We were pretty sure that you would find your way out of Kulani's clutches today, tomorrow at the latest, so we have had this ready since yesterday," Nancy said with a huge grin on her face. "Come on."

Steve followed her a bit reluctantly; it seemed his friends knew him too well.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Steve, I must say you had us worried there for a few hours, when you suddenly disappeared," Danny said into the round an hour later.

Steve looked at him and then saw the worry on all his friends' faces. Maybe not so much on Levy's, but he was busy talking to Kono, discussing the finer points of big wave surfing. Very much to Adam's dismay, who looked like he wanted to shoot Levy on the spot. Steve had to grin, it would be interesting to see who would win in such a fight over Kono.

"Steve!"

"What?"

"What are you grinning at?" Danny asked and followed his gaze, a smile spreading out on his own face. "Ah."

"I'm sorry I had you worried."

"You're forgiven," Danny smiled at him. "Grace couldn't be here tonight, she's at a friend's birthday party. But I'm sure she will be so happy about your gift. Really, Steve, that is so…"

"Forget about it, Danny. I'm glad I could make it happen. It's good that she's not here tonight. I want to hear everything about what happened with Cannon. And she doesn't need to hear that."

They had told him how the investigation was going, but to be honest, the first few days in the hospital his focus hadn't been the best, and the pain medication had done the rest for him not being able to follow any kind of conversation very well. In the end he had given up and had only concentrated on getting better to get the hell out of the hospital. But now he was very well on the mend and ready to learn about the outcome of the case.

"First of all, the Governor is extremely pleased with how we handled the situation," Danny started.

"He is?" Steve asked a bit unbelieving.

"Yes, of course. We not only eliminated the threat of bombings in Hawaii, but we also brought down a big crime boss from New York. Something the FBI has been trying for years now."

"Yeah, but that was more a coincidence because he wanted his revenge in person," Steve countered. If Cannon hadn't come to Hawaii, he would again have gotten away with it.

"No, his hired guns talked and Cannon is going down. Kono was finally able to find the paper trail leading back to Cannon. So, no matter if he had come here or not, he would be behind bars by now."

"That's good to know. So, was Redding the one who shot Reggie?" That was something they hadn't been able to prove right after they had arrested him.

"Yes, Max, will you tell us about it?" Danny gave the word to their ME.

"Certainly. The blood on his boot could be put at the scene of the crime. His boot was definitely the one that stepped into the pool of blood. He could also be placed one block away from the crime scene, and on the video of the traffic cam he is wearing the same boots," Max told them about the information he received from his friend at the FBI crime lab.

"And they can prove that Cannon paid for the killing?" Steve wanted to know.

"Yes, he paid for Reggie's killing, and then he wired the money for yours and Danny's murder," Kono informed him of the money trail she had discovered.

"Only for the two of us? What about you two?"

"Steve, are you saying it's not fair we didn't get a hit on our head?" Chin asked in mock outrage.

"Well, you were also involved. Are you sure he didn't hire anyone else to do his dirty work? Can we be sure everyone involved is behind bars?" Steve just wanted to make sure none of his friends was still in danger.

"Yes, the investigation doesn't indicate anything or anyone else," Danny assured him.

"Good. That's good. What about the driver, the one that got away?" Steve suddenly remembered hearing about the 'car chase'.

"He's gone. We lost him. But he was not part of the hit. He's a driver, not a hit man. The FBI is looking for him, but it seems that he has good connections to South America. It's unlikely that we hear from him again," Danny further explained.

"So, this whole operation was just to kill Danny and me?" Steve asked. He looked at Catherine, making sure she was okay with talking about this in such an emotionless, clinical matter. "Why didn't they just kill me back in the hospital? It would have been easy, I had been unconscious."

"I'm glad they had such an elaborate plan for your death. It gave us time to find you," Catherine voiced her opinion. Her alleged duty on base had also just been a ruse for Steve.

"We found a list on the one you killed," Danny said and thought back to the 'shopping list' they had found on the dead man. "You got away easy, my friend. There was a lot more on it."

"Yes, Commander, it was the enactment of Cannon, Jr.'s death. In the end you would have been stabbed, and I assure you it would have been slow and painful," Max said, but stopped when he saw Captain Rollins' and Catherine's faces. "Eh, I mean…"

"It's okay, Max. We know what you mean," Steve told their ME. "So, it's over and done with?"

"Yes. And I tell you, Steve, that was a weekend I don't need a repeat performance of," Danny said to his friend.

Steve could only agree. The hours in the ocean had not been his idea of a nice hour of surfing. And the bombing and being subjected to the tear gas were also not too great. Not even to mention that people besides him had gotten hurt. And all that just because one man thought Steve and Danny had been responsible for the death of a felon behind bars.

Steve always wondered how people could blame other people for something that went wrong when it was clearly their own fault they were in such a predicament. Had Cannon, Jr. not followed in his father's footsteps, he would still be very much alive. And none of the other people would have gotten hurt.

Well, Steve would probably still have gone surfing and could possibly still have ended up on his way to Midway. But without the prior injuries and mild exhaustion he may have been able to swim out of the current and make it back to shore on his own. Or might not have been involved in the wipe out in the first place.

But those thoughts were water under the bridge, and now was not the time to ponder that. Now was the time to celebrate that the only death count was with the bad guys and all the good guys and the innocent people could go and claim back their normal, albeit exciting lives.

H50 – H50 – H50

* * *

**And a very special warm thank you to Cokie, who really knows how to make this all so much better.**

Look out for the next story that will come to you very soon.


End file.
